FISHING
Crew overpowers pirates
The crew of a Taiwanese fishing vessel fought against armed pirates off the coast of Somalia to retake their ship after it was hijacked off East Africa, authorities said yesterday. The 290-tonne Ching Yi Wen, registered in Greater Kaohsiung, with a crew of 28, including nine Chinese, eight Filipinos, six Indonesians and five Vietnamese, had been out of contact since Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. However, the crew managed to overwhelm the six armed pirates and retake control of their ship. “In my memory, this is the first time sailors of a fishing vessel hijacked by Somali pirates have freed themselves on their own,” Fisheries Agency Deputy Director-General Tsay Tzu-yaw (蔡日耀) said. The pirates fell into the sea, Tsay said, quoting the fishing boat owner, adding that details of the saga and the fate of the six pirates were not immediately clear. Tsay said three sailors were slightly injured and the ship was heading for waters off the Seychelles.
WEATHER
Wet weather forecast
A northeast monsoon could bring intermittent rainfall to northern and eastern parts of the country today, according to the Central Weather Bureau. The chances of rain in northern and eastern Taiwan could increase today and a stronger monsoon front and mist from the south later could cause the rain to last for several days, the bureau said. Central and southern Taiwan could also see some rain as a result, the bureau added. The monsoon brought cooler temperatures in the north, with daytime temperature estimated to have dropped yesterday to 29?C from Saturday’s high of 33.5?C. However, temperatures in central and southern parts of the country are estimated to remain above 30?C, with steady afternoon showers likely in the mountainous regions over the next two days, the bureau said.
ENVIRONMENT
Bird numbers up in Kenting
The number of Chinese goshawks and gray-faced eagles stopping at Kenting National Park every autumn as they migrate south during the past 10 years increased from the previous decade, an indication that conservation efforts have been successful, said Tsai Yi-jung (蔡乙榮), a research fellow at the park’s Department of Conservation headquarters. The park began counting the number of migrating birds passing through the area 23 years ago, Tsai said. Every year since then, investigators have been deployed in the park from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31 to calculate how many of the birds pass through on a daily basis, he said. This autumn, nearly 120,000 Chinese goshawks and more than 45,000 gray-faced buzzard eagles arrived in Kenting on their way south to winter, the eighth and second-highest totals respectively, Tsai said.
SOCIETY
Inventors shine in Poland
A Taiwanese delegation was one of the big winners at this year’s International Warsaw Invention Show, which ended on Saturday, with 49 gold medals, 39 silver, 17 bronze and five special awards, the Chinese Innovation and Invention Society (CIIS) said yesterday. Among the 19 countries that participated, Taiwan has one of the best showings, taking a total of 110 awards, said Wu Chih-yao (吳智堯), secretary-general of the CIIS and leader of the delegation. One of the group’s winning inventions was a solar-powered tissue box with a screen that displays the number of tissues remaining. Another winner was a solar-powered manhole cover that is capable of zapping mosquitoes.
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
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
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
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