EDUCATION
Curriculum draws criticism
The Ministry of Education yesterday defended changes it made to school curriculum guidelines in 2019 that have resulted in some well-known authors being excluded from English textbooks in favor of more domestic content. In a recent article that was widely shared online, a person identifying themselves as a high-school English teacher said that classic texts by Ernest Hemingway, Martin Luther King Jr and William Shakespeare were removed from student textbooks under the updated guidelines. Publishers replaced them with lessons on Taiwan-related topics such as “roadside banquets,” Matsu pilgrimages, flying fish season on Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and 7-Eleven, the teacher said. The ministry yesterday said that the changes emphasized the practical use of foreign languages, as well as their “immediacy” and relevance to daily life. The ministry said its guidelines had asked publishers to select content that “proceeds from issues related to daily life,” and gradually expands to focus on broader social issues.
SOCIETY
Ship runs aground
A Cameroon-registered freighter that began drifting after losing power near Jibei Islet (吉貝) in Penghu County has run aground in waters north of Baisha Township (白沙), but all nine sailors aboard the vessel are accounted for, Taiwanese authorities said yesterday. The Maritime and Port Bureau said it received a report early yesterday that the 499-tonne Hai Shou freighter was drifting in waters off Jibei, the biggest island north of Penghu’s main island, after losing power due to a mechanical failure. The vessel had originally set sail from Taichung without cargo on board and was heading for Kaohsiung, but it lost power soon after leaving the central Taiwan port, the agency said. In an update later, the port agency said that despite dropping anchor, the vessel had continued drifting, buffeted by strong winds and had run aground in waters 0.4 nautical miles (741m) north of Penghu’s Baisha Township. The vessel’s nine crew members, all nationals of Myanmar, were rescued by a National Airborne Service Corps helicopter yesterday afternoon after the captain gave the order to abandon the ship. They are all in good condition and being put up at the Sheng Kuo Hotel in Magong City, the agency said.
POLITICS
MOFA conveys condolences
The government yesterday expressed its condolences over the death of Kuwaiti monarch, Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber Al Sabah, who passed away on Saturday aged 86. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it has instructed representative to Kuwait Tan Kou-ting (譚國定) to convey condolences from the government and Taiwanese to the Kuwaiti authorities over the monarch’s passing. Although Taiwan does not have official diplomatic relations with the Middle Eastern country, it has operated the Taipei Commercial Representative Office in Jabriah, in the Kuwaiti province of Hawally, since 1986. Kuwait University has provided annual scholarships to an undisclosed number of Taiwanese students from National Taiwan University and Nation Chengchi University to study Arabic. Currently, nine Taiwanese students are studying Arabic at Kuwait University. Meanwhile, one Kuwaiti student has been studying for a master’s degree at Ming Chuan University under a Ministry of Education scholarship since 2019.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
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