WILDLIFE
Miaoli reiterates dog ban
The Miaoli County Government on Friday reiterated that hunting dogs are banned from areas known to be the habitat of Taiwan’s only surviving wild feline — the leopard cat. The Miaoli Agriculture Department said that signs have been put up since the ban was first imposed on March 25 in areas south of County Highway No. 140. It is likely that people have been training dogs in the area, as some that have been seen in the area wore tracking collars, the department said. Patrols in the area have been increased to help protect the indigenous species, the department said. People caught breaching the ban face fines of between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 in accordance with provisions of the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), it said. Other efforts to protect the leopard cats include speed warning signs, fences and speed cameras along the county highway after seven leopard cats were reported killed on the road last year, the department added.
EDUCATION
Universities’ impacts ranked
Twenty-four Taiwanese universities are in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which measures the social and economic influence among institutions. Tainan-based National Cheng Kung University ranked highest in Taiwan at No. 38, followed by National Changhua University of Education (No. 66), in the “2020 impact rankings” released on Wednesday by the London-based magazine. The rankings are based on the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals. National Taiwan University and Taichung-based Tunghai University were in the 101-200 bracket. Fu Jen Catholic University, Asia University, China Medical University, Kaohsiung Medical University, National Dong Hwa University, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tzu Chi University and Tzu Chi University of Science and Technology, ranked 201-300. Another eight Taiwanese universities ranked 301-400, three were in the 401-600 bracket and one was at 601-plus in the rankings, which have 766 universities from 85 countries.
ASTRONOMY
Sunsets, streets to align
Sunsets will align with two streets in Taipei this month and early next month, the Central Weather Bureau said, but added that weather forecasts indicate cloudy to sunny skies for the first alignment. The alignment will be from Wednesday to May 1 on Zhongxiao E and W roads west of the Xinsheng Expressway from 5:58pm to 6:18pm on the first day, with each subsequent day’s sunset to be three minutes earlier. From May 2 to 4 the sunset will align with Emei Street west of Xining S Road from 5:59pm to 6:19pm on the first day, with subsequent days three and six minutes earlier.
FISHERIES
First tuna sets record
A bluefin tuna was auctioned in Yilan County yesterday for NT$2 million (US$66,489), a record for the first fish of the season. The Suao Township (蘇澳)-registered No. 168 Chuan Chang Lung on Thursday brought the 200kg tuna into Nanfangao Port (南方澳港), the Suao Fishermen’s Association said. To qualify as the first bluefin catch of the season, it must weigh at least 180kg and the boat that caught it must be legally registered in Taiwan and be the first to return to port. The tuna was auctioned at the Nanfangao Seafood Market, with the winner identified as businessman Cheng Chin-chih (鄭金池). Bidding started at NT$7,000 per kilogram before closing at NT$10,000, association head Tsai Yuan-lung (蔡源龍) said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS