CRIME
Ex-councilor sentenced
Former Tainan Council speaker Lai Mei-hui (賴美惠) was handed a two-year jail sentence, suspended for four years, after being found guilty of fraudulently claiming expenses, the Tainan District Court said on Wednesday. The former Democratic Progressive Party city councilor was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service within three years and would be deprived of civil rights for two years, the court said. The ruling can be appealed. While serving as a Tainan councilor from 2010 to 2018, Lai hired her sister-in-law, surnamed Chen (陳), as an assistant to manage her office finances and another woman, surnamed Wu (吳).The three were charged with claiming assistant subsidy fees under the names of Wu’s sister and a friend of Lai’s sister, despite neither of them working as an assistant. From 2012 to 2014, Lai, Chen and Wu stole NT$2.35 million (US$74,435) from the public purse. The money was used to cover office expenses, including cash for red and white envelopes handed out to the public at weddings and funerals, the court said. Lai has surrendered the funds, which have been confiscated, the court added.
SPACE
Lilium-1 releases selfie
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) on Wednesday released two selfies taken by Lilium-1, an university-developed cube satellite. The selfies, the first to be taken by a Taiwanese satellite, showed Lilium-1 passing over Australia facing the sun with its solar panels unfolded. Carried by a SpaceX rocket, Lilium-1 was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California into a low Earth orbit (LEO) of about 520km on Dec. 2 last year, NCKU said in a statement. Lilium-1 was the first satellite to be launched as part of a National Science and Technology Council project that is focused on researching and developing key CubeSat technologies, NCKU said in the statement, adding that a team consisting of personnel from NCKU, National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University of Technology and Tamkang University, as well as industry professionals, collaborated in the development of Lilium-1. The team would continue to work on developing and launching CubeSats Lilium-2 and Lilium-3, and would explore areas including high-frequency satellite communications, inter-satellite communications and smart remote sensing.
TRADE
Group urges China ties
A trade group on Wednesday urged president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to strengthen communication between Taiwan and China to maintain positive international relations. Lin Por-fong (林伯豐), chairman of the Third Wednesday Club, said that Taiwan should not rely exclusively on Japan and the US, as it also needs to engage in dialogue with China. Constructive communication and exchanges are essential for both sides to resolve their issues, Lin told reporters after holding the trade group’s monthly gathering. “Without the consent of China, Taiwan will find it challenging to go it alone,” Lin said. Joining trade pacts or blocs would also help boost Taiwan’s economy — whether it be the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement between Taiwan and China, or proposed membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Lin said. In addition, Lin called on the new government to reassess its energy policies, adding that maintaining stable electricity prices should be a top priority for business operations.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
Taiwan next year plans to launch its first nationwide census on elderly people living independently to identify the estimated 700,000 seniors to strengthen community-based healthcare and long-term care services, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said on the sidelines of a healthcare seminar that the nation’s rapidly aging population and declining birthrate have made the issue of elderly people living alone increasingly pressing. The survey, to be jointly conducted by the MOHW and the Ministry of the Interior, aims to establish baseline data and better allocate care resources, he
RSS