DEFENSE
ECM purchase on track
The procurement of new electronic countermeasures (ECM) pods for the nation’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets is being carried out in accordance with procurement regulations and legislative resolutions, Air Force Command Headquarters said yesterday. The headquarters issued a news release denying there were problems with procurement of ALQ-131 pods after the Chinese-language United Daily News reported that the number of pods has been significantly cut and the equipment has not passed flight tests, while Taiwan is being asked to sign an agreement taking responsibility for research and development costs. The air force denied any malpractice and said the signing of the agreement has been postponed. The procurement was conducted in accordance with the Government Procurement Act (政府採購法), military procurement regulations and the US Department of Defense’s security assistance management manual, the statement said.
WEATHER
Winds bring coolness
Increased northeasterly winds yesterday brought brief rain and cooler weather to the north and east of the nation, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Seasonal winds will affect the weather until tomorrow, with lows in regions north of Taichung dipping to 16?C, the bureau said. On Wednesday and Thursday, the northeastern winds will weaken, and temperatures are expected to rebound across the nation, the bureau said. Northern and eastern Taiwan will still receive brief rain, with lows hitting 18?C to 20?C, while in the center and south, lows will be between 19?C and 21?C. A warning of gusty winds has been issued for 19 cities and counties nationwide, except for Taipei and Nantou and Chiayi counties.
SOCIETY
Aging index hits 103.66
The nation’s aging index last month climbed to 103.66 after it breached the 100-mark for the first time in February, data released on Saturday by the Ministry of the Interior showed. The index, which is the number of people aged 65 and over for every 100 people under the age of 15, stood at 103.66 at the end of last month, representing 3.22 million people aged 65 and over. The ministry said an aging index of more than 100 means that there are more elderly people than young people. The elderly population currently makes up 13.7 percent of the total population, with 3,224 over 100 years of age. The three counties in which old people account for the highest percentage of the population are Chiayi at 18.29 percent, Yunlin at 17.4 percent and Nantou at 16.35 percent. At this rate, the nation is likely to see people aged 65 or older making up 20 percent of the total population by 2026, which would make it a “hyper-aged” society.
TRAVEL
Cash confiscated at airport
A Chinese man on Saturday was caught carrying US$100,000 in undeclared cash at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and had all but US$10,000 confiscated by officials. The man, surnamed Liu (劉), had arrived from Harbin, China. Liu said he was not aware of new regulations regarding the declaration of currencies that travelers can carry in and out of the nation. Liu said he was carrying the US$100,000 to start a company in Taiwan. An amendment to the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法) that took effect on June 28 requires passengers entering or leaving Taiwan with more than NT$100,000, 20,000 yuan or foreign currency worth more than US$10,000 to declare it.
Taiwanese can file complaints with the Tourism Administration to report travel agencies if their activities caused termination of a person’s citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday, after a podcaster highlighted a case in which a person’s citizenship was canceled for receiving a single-use Chinese passport to enter Russia. The council is aware of incidents in which people who signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of Russia were told they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, Chiu told reporters on the sidelines of an event in Taipei. However, the travel agencies actually applied
Japanese footwear brand Onitsuka Tiger today issued a public apology and said it has suspended an employee amid allegations that the staff member discriminated against a Vietnamese customer at its Taipei 101 store. Posting on the social media platform Threads yesterday, a user said that an employee at the store said that “those shoes are very expensive” when her friend, who is a migrant worker from Vietnam, asked for assistance. The employee then ignored her until she asked again, to which she replied: "We don't have a size 37." The post had amassed nearly 26,000 likes and 916 comments as of this
New measures aimed at making Taiwan more attractive to foreign professionals came into effect this month, the National Development Council said yesterday. Among the changes, international students at Taiwanese universities would be able to work in Taiwan without a work permit in the two years after they graduate, explainer materials provided by the council said. In addition, foreign nationals who graduated from one of the world’s top 200 universities within the past five years can also apply for a two-year open work permit. Previously, those graduates would have needed to apply for a work permit using point-based criteria or have a Taiwanese company
The Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday indicted two Taiwanese and issued a wanted notice for Pete Liu (劉作虎), founder of Shenzhen-based smartphone manufacturer OnePlus Technology Co (萬普拉斯科技), for allegedly contravening the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) by poaching 70 engineers in Taiwan. Liu allegedly traveled to Taiwan at the end of 2014 and met with a Taiwanese man surnamed Lin (林) to discuss establishing a mobile software research and development (R&D) team in Taiwan, prosecutors said. Without approval from the government, Lin, following Liu’s instructions, recruited more than 70 software
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