FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Tainan, US city set up ties
Tainan yesterday established a sister city relationship with the US city of New Orleans to enhance cooperation in the areas of education, culture and tourism, city officials said. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell signed an agreement at a virtual ceremony. Huang praised New Orleans’ rich cultural history, and said he has invited Cantrell to visit Tainan in 2024, when the city is to mark its 400th anniversary. Under the pact, Tainan’s National Cheng Kung University and Xavier University of Louisiana are to also be paired as “sister colleges,” Huang said. A Tainan City Government news release quoted Cantrell as saying New Orleans held events in 2019 to mark the 40th anniversary of the US’ Taiwan Relations Act, and said the cities’ agreement is indicative of deepening US-Taiwan ties.
SOCIETY
Military truck hits mom, kid
A military truck hit a scooter on a main road in New Taipei City yesterday morning, killing the scooter’s driver and her six-year-old daughter, police said. The two vehicles were both driving in the same direction on Jieshou Road in Sansia District (三峽), but the truck driver, surnamed Chen (陳), 27, took a right turn without noticing the scooter to its right, knocked the scooter to the ground, and then ran it over with its back tire, Sansia Precinct police said. The 43-year-old mother and her daughter suffered a cardiac arrest and were pronounced dead in hospital, police said. The Sixth Army Command issued a statement expressing regret for the incident and condolences to the family of the victims. It said top officials would visit the family of the victims and that it would cooperate with a police investigation.
CRIME
Denise Ho wins damage suit
The Taipei District Court on Monday ordered a man who threw paint on Hong Kong singer and democracy campaigner Denise Ho (何韻詩) in Taipei three years ago to pay her NT$400,000 in compensation. Ho was doused in red paint by a masked man during an event in September 2019 in support of Hong Kong’s democracy movement. Police identified the man as Hu Chih-wei (胡志偉), a member of the China Unification Promotion Party. Prosecutors in June 2020 brought criminal charges against the man and 10 other people accused of involvement in the attack. The district court in January only found Hu guilty and sentenced him to three months in prison, which could be commuted to a NT$90,000 fine. The High Court in July upheld the verdict in a final ruling. However, Ho filed a civil lawsuit and the district court on Monday awarded her damages. The ruling can be appealed.
ENTERTAINMENT
Vive Le Cirque coming
Viva Le Cirque is to stage five circus shows in Taipei from Feb. 3 to 5, promoter KHAM Ticket said in a statement on Monday. The shows are family events featuring diverse elements, such as drama, juggling and acrobatics, as well as clowns to bring audiences some laughs, it said. Aside from traditional circus tricks, Viva Le Cirque challenges how people imagine the circus experience by adding laser programming to its show, KHAM said. Star performers include world juggling champion Gabriel Estrada of Costa Rica and the Malevo Argentinian Gaucho Act that performed on America’s Got Talent, as well as performing artists from Cirque du Soleil and other renowned troupes, it said. Tickets went on sale yesterday on the KHAM Ticket platform and at Hi-Life and OK Mart convenience stores.
OFFLINE: People who do not wish to register can get the money from select ATMs using their bank card, ID number and National Health Insurance card number Online registration for NT$6,000 (US$196.32) cash payments drawn from last year’s tax surplus is to open today for eligible people whose national ID or permanent residency number ends in either a zero or a one, the Ministry of Finance said on Monday. Officials from the ministry revealed which days Taiwanese and eligible foreigners would be able to register for the cash payments at a joint news conference with the Ministry of Digital Affairs. Online registration is to open tomorrow for those whose number ends in a two or three; on Friday for those that end in a four or five: on Saturday
TECH PROGRAM: A US official said that an important part of the delegation’s trip would be to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co executives The US is to send officials in charge of chip development to Taiwan, Japan and South Korea to promote cooperation in the global semiconductor supply chain, the US Department of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chips Program Office Director Michael Schmidt announced the visit, which marks the first time officials from the office are to visit the three nations since it was set up in September last year. “As semiconductors and technologies continue to evolve, the United States will keep working with allies and partners to develop coordinated strategies to ensure that malign actors cannot use the latest technologies to undermine our collective
Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) officials are investigating why a Starlux Airlines flight to Penang, Malaysia, returned to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport nearly two hours after takeoff yesterday morning. The airline said in a statement that Flight JX721 to Penang took off from Taoyuan airport at 9:20am. “After the dashboard showed a signal of an abnormality in the hydraulic system, the captain followed standard operating procedures and returned the flight to Taoyuan airport for safety precautions,” the airline said, adding that the flight landed safely at the airport at 11:04am. The airline arranged for the passengers to have lunch after the flight landed and
WORKING UP AN APPETITE: Sales at the Rueifong Night Market surged 20 to 30 percent, while seats at Liouhe Night Market were packed until 1am, market officials said South Korean pop band Blackpink’s concerts over the weekend in Kaohsiung helped draw large crowds to local night markets, the Kaohsiung City Government said yesterday. The two concerts on Saturday and Sunday at Kaohsiung National Stadium drew more than 90,000 people. The city government offered NT$50 vouchers to spend locally to concertgoers who showed their ticket stubs. Liouhe Night Market (六合夜市) management committee head Chuang Chi-chang (莊其章) said that crowds over the weekend surged at about 10pm and the market remained packed until 1:30am. “Almost all the seats were filled,” Chuang said. Night market stall owners had stocked up in expectation of an increased number
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