ELECTIONS
By-election announced
A by-election will be held on Saturday, Jan. 26, next year to fill a post in the second electoral district in Greater Taichung left vacant by former Non-Partisan Solidarity Union legislator Yen Ching-piao (顏清標), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. Yen’s status as a lawmaker was revoked last month after a guilty verdict on a corruption charge was finalized by the Supreme Court. The commission said that those interested in running may register as candidates from Dec. 17 through Dec. 21. The commission said it would examine candidates’ qualifications before Jan. 3 and determine the order in which the names of eligible candidates appear on the ballot at a draw before Jan. 8. The list of candidates is to be published on Jan. 15. Ballots will be counted immediately after the polling stations close at 4pm on Jan. 26 and the winner will be officially announced before Feb. 1, it added.
AID
State donates to CARE
The government donated 100,000 euros (US$129,320) to a Paris-based non-profit organization on Thursday in support of an education program for underprivileged children in Central America. The program, promoted by CARE France, is aimed at eliminating child labor and encouraging normal schooling for children in 14 cities in Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador. It is set to run for 30 months starting on Nov. 22 next year, with the EU contributing 80 percent of the 1.25 million euros needed for the cause. CARE France vice president Daniel Thierry described the donation as an important step by Taiwan to participate in international humanitarian efforts. Taiwan’s representative to France, Michel Lu (呂慶龍), said this latest cooperation with CARE France has created a very good model for Taiwan to contribute to multilateral efforts.
CRIME
Ex-KMT lawmaker indicted
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Wang Chih-hsiung (王志雄) was indicted by Taipei prosecutors yesterday on suspicion of involvement in an embezzlement scandal. Prosecutors said Wang established Convenient Life Group and formed five sub-companies, and invited the public to invest in the companies, but he allegedly embezzled NT$30 million (US$1 million) from the group between 1997 and 2000. Wang Chih-hsiung, the son of former Chung Hsing Bank president Wang Yu-yun (王玉雲), was a vice chairman of the Chung Hsing Bank. He fled to China in 2007 amid several investigations into allegations of illegal loans made by the bank and embezzlement. He was repatriated last month by the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau agents after being arrested by Chinese authorities in Shanghai.
SOCIETY
Taipei tops quality survey
Taipei ranked first among the nation’s 22 cities and counties in terms of quality of life, according to a survey by Kainan University published yesterday. The survey by the Taoyuan County school said Taipei placed first in six of 11 indices — housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, governance, health, life satisfaction, safety and work-life balance. Hsinchu City was ranked second, followed by Hsinchu County, Taichung City and New Taipei City (新北市). The survey, the first such assessment made by the university, was based on the “Your Better Life Index” conducted by the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
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