WEATHER
Temperatures to drop
A cold front moving across the nation will send temperatures plunging to a low of 9°C in northern and central Taiwan by early this morning, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. All areas of the country are expected to experience a sharp drop in temperature from yesterday until this afternoon, the bureau said. After that, temperatures in regions north of the Chiayi area are expected to rise to between 15°C and 18°C, the bureau said. The cold weather will last until Friday, with a small chance of rain and snow in the mountainous areas of country, according to the bureau.
TRAVEL
Canada raises work quota
More Taiwanese will be able to take a working holiday in Canada next year after Ottawa raised the quota for Taiwanese participation in the program from 700 to 1,000, the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) said in a statement yesterday. “The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei is pleased to announce that we have increased our quota for the 2011 International Experience Canada initiative to 1,000 for Taiwan,” the office said. Taiwan and Canada signed an agreement earlier this year to launch the working holiday program on July 1. Under the program, people aged 18 to 35 from the two countries are allowed to travel and work in each other’s country for up to one year. The original annual quota of 200 was raised to 700 on July 27 because of an enthusiastic response from local youth. CTOT said it would be accepting applications for the program postmarked on or after Jan. 10. Taipei has signed working holiday agreements with six countries — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Germany and Japan.
BUSINESS
Foodies swap ideas
Food business operators from Taiwan and the US exchanged ideas on how to break into each other’s market on the opening day of the Gourmet Taiwan International Conference in Taipei yesterday. The opening ceremony was attended by more than 200 participants, including a group of 30 people from the US engaged in the food and hotel sectors, said the ROC-USA Business Council, the main organizer of the four-day conference. Chen Fei-lung (陳飛龍), executive supervisor of the business council, said he hoped that with the support of the government, Taiwanese foods and food businesses would be able to go international. Working with overseas compatriots and exploring global markets will be a positive force for the Taiwanese food industry because more jobs and business opportunities will be created, he said. The conference will include a series of keynote speeches and Taiwanese food business operators will have the opportunity to hold discussions with their counterparts from the US.
POLITICS
Kaohsiung officials resign
Senior Kaohsiung City Government officials yesterday resigned en masse to allow Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) to appoint her new administrative team for the soon-to-be-created Greater Kaohsiung municipality. A total of 24 political appointees, including Deputy Mayor Lee Yung-te (李永得), stepped down while Chen promised to give talents from Kaohsiung County equal opportunities to serve in the Greater Kaohsiung Government. After the merger of the city and county is completed on Dec. 25, Greater Kaohsiung will become the nation’s second-largest administrative municipality. Chen said that age, gender and expertise would be key factors in choosing staffers.
HUMAN RIGHTS
Tibetans to walk 400km
Exiled Tibetans in Taiwan will start to walk from the north to the south of the island on Friday to raise public awareness of China’s suppression of their homeland. The 13-day event will be part of the “Walk for Tibet” global campaign aimed at “sharing our message of world peace, human rights and the Tibetan struggle for independence,” the organizers said. Jigme Norbu, nephew of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and son of the late Taktser Rinpoche, who supported Tibetan independence, will join the activity, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Taiwan chairman Tashi Tsering said in a statement on Monday. The walk in Taiwan will cover more than 400km and 10 counties.
CHARITY
PBF to hold charity sale
The personal belongings of Taiwanese baseball celebrities will go on sale at a charity bazaar this week to raise money for premature babies, event organizer Premature Baby Foundation (PBF) said on Monday. Though national health insurance subsidizes between 80 and 90 percent of the medical care expenses for premature babies, some families still find it hard to afford extra treatment and counseling services that are not reimbursed by the insurance system, PBF president Lee Hung-chang (李宏昌) said. “We hope to raise public awareness about the needs of families with premature children through the sale,” Lee said. Yuki Huang, the mother of two premature babies born at 28 and 26 weeks respectively, said she was thankful for the financial support offered by the foundation. “Preemie parents have constant doubts about the babies’ well-being after being discharged from hospital,” said Huang, whose worries eased after enrolling in the foundation’s free follow-up program.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
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