DIPLOMACY
Ma praises pope’s speech
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has sent a letter to Pope Francis spelling out his admiration and support for the pope’s call on Jan. 1 for more efforts to fight modern slavery worldwide. Ma’s office publicly released the letter, which was sent on Jan. 14, yesterday. The president said he was deeply touched by the pope’s “profound and thought-provoking views” in his speech to mark the World Day of Peace, titled “No longer slaves, but brothers and sisters.” Ma praised the pope’s reminder that slavery has not been left in the past and that action is still needed to combat injustice and poverty and care for the disadvantaged and defenseless. He said that helping the disadvantaged is an important element of traditional Chinese culture and that doing so is in line with Pope Francis’ New Year’s Day message.
UTILITIES
Water rationing to expand
Taiwan Water Corp yesterday said that phase two water rationing will hit major users of water like street cleaners starting on Feb. 26 after the Lunar New Year holiday due to a lack of rainfall. The company said that the affected regions will range from the north of the country to the south, covering New Taipei City’s Linkou (林口), Banciao (板橋) and Sinjhuang (新莊) districts; Taoyuan; Hsinchu; Miaoli; Taichung; the northern parts of Changhua County; Tainan; and Kaohsiung. Water supplies will be suspended there for water fountains, street cleaners and other major uses of water that are not urgent. Non-industrial users that consume more than 1,000m3 of water per month will see their supplies cut by 20 percent, while industrial users will have their supplies reduced by 5 percent. Medical institutions and other specified users will not be subject to the rationing. At swimming pools and car washers, water supply will also be cut by 20 percent.
DIPLOMACY
St Lucia to set up embassy
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it welcomes the decision by St Lucia to set up its first embassy in Asia in Taiwan, saying the move will help strengthen bilateral ties. The ministry issued a statement after St Lucian Minister of External Affairs, International Trade and Civil Aviation Alva Romanus Baptiste announced that the Caribbean country would open an embassy in Taipei. “The ministry will also provide any necessary assistance,” the statement read. Baptiste, who is on his second visit to Taiwan, said he had looked at some possible sites for the new embassy, which is expected to open by the middle of the year.
EDUCATION
Yu Ying-shih sets up grant
Historian and Tang Prize (唐獎) laureate Yu Ying-shih (余英時) has decided to use his NT$10 million (US$319,100) research grant from the prize to set up a scholarship in Taiwan with the hope of encouraging young researchers in the field of humanities. Tang Prize Foundation chief executive Chern Jenn-chuan (陳振川) and Huang Chin-shing (黃進興), director of Academia Sinica’s Institute of History and Philology, signed an agreement on Thursday to formally establish the scholarship. The scholarship will be awarded annually to six Taiwanese students under the age of 45 who are working on books or doctoral dissertations. Three will receive NT$360,000 each to assist in their work, while the others will receive NT$240,000 to help with their theses. The institute would be responsible for selecting recipients. Yu is hoping that the scholarship will encourage more young people to study the humanities, Huang said.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
LIKE-MINDED COUNTRIES: Despite the threats from outside, Taiwan and Lithuania thrived and developed their economies, former president Tsai Ing-wen said Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Saturday thanked Lithuania for its support of Taiwan, saying that both countries are united as partners in defending democracy. Speaking at a reception organized by the Lithuania-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Group welcoming her on her first visit to the Baltic state, Tsai said that while she was president from 2016 to last year, many Lithuanian “friends” visited Taiwan. “And I told myself I have to be here. I am very happy that I am here, a wonderful country and wonderful people,” Tsai said. Taiwan and Lithuania are in similar situations as both are neighbors to authoritarian countries, she
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to visit the UK during her ongoing European trip, which originally included only Lithuania and Denmark, her office said today. Tsai departed Taiwan for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark, marking her second visit to the continent since her two-term presidency ended in May last year. Her office issued a statement today saying that Tsai would also visit the UK "for a few days," during which she is to meet with UK politicians and Taiwanese professionals, and visit academic and research institutions. Following Tsai's stop in Denmark, she is to visit the
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