SOCIETY
Drivers’ ages rising: poll
The average age of drivers in the country is rising, a Ministry of Transportation and Communications poll showed. The survey, carried out from March to May this year, found that the average of drivers, as of the end of last year, increased 1.1 years to 45.3 compared with the end of 2008. The largest group, aged 40 to 49, accounted for 30.9 percent of the total, according to the biannual poll conducted by the ministry to study private car-use. However, the biggest growth in the number of drivers was in the age group 60 and over, with the number of drivers in that age bracket rising 1.9 percentage points from 2008 to 10.5 percent last year, the poll found. A ministry report tied the trend to the nation’s aging demographics. The survey collected 12,378 valid samples among the 25,000 vehicle owners polled.
CHARITY
Auction to help victims
The Rotary Club of Taipei announced yesterday it is holding a charity auction today to help young victims of human trafficking in Cambodia. The club said an estimated 100,000 girls from poor families are sold or sexually exploited through human trafficking in Cambodia every year, and 80 percent of them are women under the age of 18. The club said the proceeds of the auction would go to the Fullness in Christ Fellowship organization, in partnership with Taiwan’s Garden of Hope Foundation. The auction will be held from 2pm to 5:30pm at National Taipei University, the club said. Items to be auctioned include brand name handbags and second-hand clothes donated by club members.
POLITICS
US lawmakers voice support
Nine members of US Congress have sent congratulations to Taiwan ahead of the Republic of China’s centennial celebrations on Oct. 10, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington said on Friday. In their congratulatory messages, the Democratic and Republican representatives expressed support for closer Taiwan-US relations and acknowledged President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) leadership and efforts in improving cross-strait relations, the office said. The messages have been put on record in the US Congress, the office said, adding that it was grateful for the support and friendship of those members who sent congratulations. The nine lawmakers are Dan Boren, Hank Johnson, Mike Quigley, Joe Barton, Lynn Westmoreland, Billy Long, Loretta Sanchez, Laura Richardson and Virginia Foxx.
CULTURE
West Asia exhibition tours
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday launched a touring exhibition to help Taiwanese better understand the rich cultural heritage and lifestyles of West Asia. At the launch in Taipei, where the ministry has mounted an outdoor exhibition on the Middle East, Turkey, Russia and Mongolia in areas near major shopping plazas, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Thomas Hou (侯平福) said it was a fun opportunity for everyone to learn more about foreign cultures. Traditional clothing, arts and crafts and calligraphy were on display, while the entertainment included Arabian belly dancing, Russian folk songs and Sufi spinning. The Middle East is one of the world’s oldest civilizations and home to major religions, Hou said, adding that its diverse cultures and scientific achievements were worth exploring. The touring exhibition will also stop at Greater Kaohsiung, Changhua and Taitung on weekends next month.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A pro-Russia hacker group has launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the Taiwanese government in retaliation for President William Lai’s (賴清德) comments suggesting that China should have a territorial dispute with Russia, an information security company said today. The hacker group, NoName057, recently launched an HTTPs flood attack called “DDoSia” targeting Taiwanese government and financial units, Radware told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). Local tax bureaus in New Taipei City, Keelung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan were mentioned by the hackers. Only the Hsinchu Local Tax Bureau site appeared to be down earlier in the day, but was back
PROXIMITY: Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location, the Executive Yuan official said Taiwan plans to boost cooperation with the Czech Republic in semiconductor development due to Prague’s pivotal role in the European IC industry, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said. With Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) building a wafer fab in the German city of Dresden, a Germany-Czech Republic-Poland “silicon triangle” is forming, Kung said in a media interview on the weekend after returning from a visit to Prague. “Prague is closer to Dresden than Berlin is, so Taiwanese firms are expected to take advantage of the Czech capital’s location,” he said. “Taiwan and Prague have already launched direct flights and it is
RSS