CRIME
Online star shot twice
Internet celebrity Holger Chen (陳之漢) is being treated for injuries after being shot in the arm and leg early yesterday outside a fitness center that he founded in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口). Witnesses said that at 2:23am, a man fired three shots at Chen, hitting him twice, as he stood at the gym’s entrance. Chen remained conscious throughout the incident, and even began a livestream as he lay on the ground waiting for medical help to arrive. He was later taken to Linkou’s Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for treatment. Linkou police said that a 23-year-old man, surnamed Liu (劉), later turned himself in. Surveillance footage and a taxi driver who took Liu to the fitness center confirmed Liu as a suspect, police said.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Taiwan to aid Beirut victims
The nation is to donate US$150,000 in humanitarian aid to victims of the Aug. 4 explosion at the Port of Beirut, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday. The ministry expressed the government’s sympathy to the victims of the disaster, in which a warehouse of ammonium nitrate exploded. “The ministry decided to donate US$150,000 to help the Lebanese government and victims of the explosion to overcome the crisis and rebuild their homes,” it said. The donation, made in the spirit of “Taiwan can help and Taiwan is helping,” is to be used for renovation work and to assist in relief projects led by the Mercy Corps, a global non-governmental humanitarian aid organization, it said, adding that at least 200 people lost their lives, while more than 7,000 were injured and tens of thousands of families were left homeless.
CULTURE
Free activities on sports day
All of the nation’s residents are to have free access to public sports centers and athletic facilities on Sept. 9, which is National Sports Day, the Sports Administration has announced. The campaign of free services for the holiday is to include free fitness tests, which would be available throughout next month, said Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao (林騰蛟), the acting head of the Sports Administration. A free sports-themed show combining sports and performing arts is to be held at the Taipei Arena on Sept. 19, with 10,000 tickets made available from 1pm today through the KKTIX system, the agency said. The event would match rhythmic gymnastics with a performance by a symphony orchestra, as well as featuring performances by triathlete Li Shiao-yu (李筱瑜) and the National Taipei University of Education’s karate team, it said.
LABOR
Fines for migrants’ bosses
Employers who make illegal deductions from the salaries of migrant workers would face fines of up to NT$300,000, the Ministry of Labor said on Tuesday. The existing law stipulates that employers not withhold any wages. Workers who believe that their wages are being garnished or that they are being overcharged by their brokers should call 1955, a 24-hour consultation and protection hotline, to file a complaint, the ministry said. Some common illegal deductions by employers on behalf of brokers include service fees, foreign loans, residence permit fees and medical examination fees, it said. The broker would face a fine 10 to 20 times the amount overcharged to the worker and their right to operate would be suspended, it added.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS