ENTERTAINMENT
Scientist to star in drama
Henry Lee (李昌鈺), a US-based forensic scientist, is to star in a Taiwanese crime series. Lee on Thursday talked about his role in the second season of Crime Scene Investigation Center (鑑識英雄2), saying he would portray an international detective. The series not only provides information about forensic science, but also shows people that forensic professionals work to keep the public safe. Asked whether he plans to take his acting career further, Lee said he is 81 years old, adding that: “My profession is to speak for the innocent and those who cannot speak for themselves.” Producer Ku Chao (顧超) said the series places the spotlight on the lives of forensic scientists, adding that many forensic professionals have told the crew that watching the first season made them feel that their hard work is valued. The series is to begin in March.
LOTTERY
Prizes increased for holiday
Taiwan Lottery Co is offering more and bigger prizes during the Lunar New Year holiday, the company said, adding that the additional prizes would total NT$800 million (US$25.9 million). The special Lunar New Year draws began yesterday, when NT$200 million was added to the Power Lottery, the company said. The jackpot was expected to be about NT$250 million. For Grand Lottery 6/49, which is normally held twice a week, drawings would be held daily from Friday to Feb. 10, the company said. From Friday to Tuesday next week, there would be special draws of nine numbers for a NT$1 million prize that would go to people who picked six of the numbers, the company said, adding that it would hold 360 such draws over the five-day period.
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
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
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
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