POLITICS
Candidate defends property
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Kaohsiung mayoral candidate, Ko Chih-en (柯志恩), yesterday confirmed that she owns properties in the US, which she said that she declared to the Control Yuan. The public servant property declaration she made in November 2019 showed that she has a 556.88m2 plot and a 442.25m2 location in San Jose, California. “I acted appropriately and was aboveboard, used my own name and made a declaration according to the law,” she wrote on Facebook in response to criticism that cast doubt over her loyalty to Kaohsiung. She said that her husband has been working in the US, so the couple bought the property there, adding that “people should not attack a candidate’s family.”
WEATHER
Storm to bring rain: CWB
A tropical depression in the South China Sea has developed into a tropical storm that could bring rain starting today, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday. Forecasts show that the storm would not directly affect Taiwan proper, and would veer northwest as it approaches the area between Hong Kong and Hainan Island in China. Chaba and another tropical depression east of the Philippines have produced a large low-pressure area that would bring unstable weather over the next week, CWB forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said. From today, there will be a chance of rain or thundershowers throughout the day in the south, while the north would see mostly cloudy skies with a chance of afternoon showers, Lin said, adding that strengthening southwesterly winds will next week bring another bout of wet weather.
GOVERNMENT
Joseph Wu quarantined
Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) has tested positive for COVID-19 and is quarantined at home, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Ministry deputy spokesman Tsuei Ching-lin (崔靜麟) said that Wu would attend to official business while quarantined at home. On Wednesday, the Presidential Office reported four new COVID-19 cases, including National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) and council adviser Chen Chun-lin (陳俊麟). The four cases had no contact with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President William Lai (賴清德) or other officials at the office, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said. The Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a statement that Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花), Koo’s wife, tested negative using a rapid COVID-19 test and was in good health.
SOCIETY
Pride to celebrate 20 years
The 20th anniversary of the Taiwan LGBT Pride parade in Taipei is to be celebrated with a series of events throughout October and early November, organizers said on Tuesday. The anniversary events are to include an exhibition and a series of market fairs, the Taiwan Rainbow Civil Action Association said. Under the theme “An Unlimited Future,” the exhibition at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park from Oct. 1 to Nov. 6 is to feature highlights of the two decades since the nation’s first pride parade, it said. The market fairs are to be held on the weekends of Oct. 1 and 15, highlighting groups and vendors that support the LGBTIQ+ community, it said, adding that a forum is also being planned for October. Taiwan LGBT+ Pride would also return with an in-person march on Oct. 29, it said.
‘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
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
WARNING: Domestic coffee producers mainly grow arabica beans, as they self-pollinate, but they are more likely to have consistency issues, an expert said Taiwan ranks third in coffee consumption per capita in Asia, the latest Ministry of Agriculture data showed. Taiwanese consume 1.77kg, or 177 cups of coffee, per person each year, less only than Japan and South Korea, at 600 cups and 400 cups respectively, the ministry’s Tea and Beverage Research Station said. Although the nation mainly relies on imported coffee, there has been an increase in home-grown coffee bean production, the ministry said. Cuttings and other techniques are commonly used to ensure domestic beans have stronger floral and fruity flavors, it said. It is a fast-expanding market with Taiwan’s coffee consumption
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