MILITARY
Liu Ho-chien dies at 97
Liu Ho-chien (劉和謙), a former chief of the general staff, died early yesterday at the age of 97, the Ministry of National Defense said in a press release. The ministry said it would help Liu’s family with the funeral arrangements, but did not give any other details of his death. Liu, a four-star admiral, served as commander of the navy from 1983 to 1988 and as chief of the general staff from 1991 to 1995. He was appointed as military strategy adviser to the president by Taiwan’s four elected presidents to date, including President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). He played a crucial role in the development of Taiwan’s navy and helped Taiwan purchase submarines in the 1980s despite various difficulties.
TRANSPORTATION
THSRC announces tickets
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) yesterday said that sales of reserved seat tickets for eight additional services running from Dec. 29 to Jan. 2 are to start at Saturday midnight. The THSRC said it is to run eight additional services amid high demand for the105 specially scheduled trains, bookings for which opened on Dec. 1. A total of 740 regular trains, and 53 southbound and 60 northbound extra services are to run from Dec. 29 to Jan. 2 to meet the demand, it said. Meanwhile, reserved seat tickets for 12 extra services from Jan. 5 to 7 are also go on sale at midnight on Saturday, it said. THSRC added that travel advice for nonreserved tickets, which can only be purchased on the day of travel, would be provided on the homepage of its Web site during the holiday period. Under its color-coded system, green indicates wait times of less than 30 minutes, while yellow indicates longer than 30 minutes and red more than 60 minutes, it said.
SOCIETY
Citizenship granted to 28
Twenty-eight foreign professionals were granted citizenship this year, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The ministry on Monday convened its final meeting of the year to review naturalization applications for high-level foreign professionals, who under a 2016 amendment to the Nationality Act (國籍法) no longer need to forfeit their original nationality to become citizens. “High-level professionals” are defined in the act as working in technology, economics, education, culture, art, sports or other fields and have been recommended by a central authority. In the six years since the change, 281 people have become naturalized citizens, the ministry said. The seven applications approved on Monday brought the total for this year to 28, it said. Education was the best-represented field with nine approved applicants, followed by technology with seven and economics with six, it said. Twelve of the people hold dual citizenship with the US, it said.
BUSINESS
EVA Air awarded in Dubai
Taiwan-based EVA Air has been named as offering the best premium economy service in Asia at this year’s World Travel Awards in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, a statement released yesterday by the airline said. The airline, which launched its premium economy service in 1992, said it has “adopted business class seats” to make travelers feel comfortable and offers amenities such as inflight entertainment systems featuring an 11-inch LCD touch screen and noise-canceling headphones to enhance the flying experience. A pillow and blanket set, travel-sized toiletries, USB plugs and 110v sockets for laptops are also offered, it added. In addition to seats and amenities, special meals for are also provided, it added.
Taiwanese scientists have engineered plants that can capture about 50 percent more carbon dioxide and produce more than twice as many seeds as unmodified plants, a breakthrough they hope could one day help mitigate global warming and grow more food staples such as rice. If applied to major food crops, the new system could cut carbon emissions and raise yields “without additional equipment or labor costs,” Academia Sinica researcher and lead author the study Lu Kuan-jen (呂冠箴) said. Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said that as humans emit 9.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with the 220 billion tonnes absorbed
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
China’s plan to deploy a new hypersonic ballistic missile at a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) base near Taiwan likely targets US airbases and ships in the western Pacific, but it would also present new threats to Taiwan, defense experts said. The New York Times — citing a US Department of Defense report from last year on China’s military power — on Monday reported in an article titled “The missiles threatening Taiwan” that China has stockpiled 3,500 missiles, 1.5 times more than four years earlier. Although it is unclear how many of those missiles were targeting Taiwan, the newspaper reported
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