TOURISM
Taipei 20th on travel list
Taipei was ranked the 20th-most popular wish-list destination among global travelers for the past two months, at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the tourism industry worldwide, Booking.com said yesterday. Among the 1,000 cities on the Booking.com dream destinations list, London took first place, followed by Saint Petersburg, Russia; Paris; Moscow; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Tokyo; Bangkok; Istanbul, Turkey; Barcelona, Spain; New York City; Bali, Indonesia; Adler, Russia; Rome; Lisbon; Amsterdam; Prague; Madrid; Sochi, Russia; and Berlin, Booking.com customer data showed. Taiwanese travelers’ list of dream destinations was topped by Tokyo, followed by Osaka and Kyoto in Japan; Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand; Nara, Japan; Seoul; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Booking.com said. The list showed that Taiwanese prefer to visit neighboring countries, Booking.com added.
ARTS
Opera tickets increased
The National Taichung Theater on Friday put more tickets on sale for a June 27 opera directed by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre founder Lin Hwai-min (林懷民), increasing the number of available seats from 100 to about 400. The announcement came after the Ministry of Culture relaxed rules on seating arrangements at all events organized by national art and cultural institutions, the Taichung theater said. Titled Si. Mi Chiamano Mimi — Love Duette From Puccini, the concert is being coproduced by the venue and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. Lin is again working with soprano Lin Ling-hui (林玲慧), after he directed her as the lead singer in a production of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca last year. The concert is to be held in the National Taichung Theater’s 794-seat playhouse. Nearly half of the seats are to be kept empty to meet social distancing rules. All audience members must register their contact details and wear a mask upon entry, the venue said.
BADMINTON
Taipei Open date planned
Taiwan is provisionally scheduled to hold the Yonex Taipei Open badminton tournament in September, after the Badminton World Federation (BWF) on Friday last week announced a revamped calendar for the remainder of this year, the Sports Administration said. A proposal by the Chinese Taipei Badminton Association has been submitted to the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) for review, as Taiwan is maintaining tight border controls amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sports Administration Director-General Kao Chin-hsung (高俊雄) said on Thursday last week. Kao said that the Sept. 1 to 6 event, if held, would mark the return of the HSBC BWF World Tour, which was suspended after the Yonex All England Open was completed in March. While few details were given regarding how foreign players and coaches would be able to attend — considering Taiwan’s current ban on the entry of most foreign nationals, with a few exceptions such as diplomats and those with permanent residency — Kao said that a list of players likely to sign up for the event is part of the plan to be discussed with the CECC. The new tour calendar would not affect Taiwanese players’ standings or the likelihood of their taking part in the postponed Tokyo Olympics to be held from July 23 to Aug. 8 next year. The BWF said on Wednesday that all ranking scores would be maintained until the Olympic qualification period next year.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
RSS