EDUCATION
Harvard inks grant deal
Taiwan and Harvard University have signed an agreement to send five Taiwanese doctoral students to the US school on full scholarships every year for the next five years, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Starting from the next academic year, both sides would together select five Taiwanese doctoral students to attend the Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the ministry said in a statement. The scholarships for up to four years would be covered by the ministry and Harvard, it said. The agreement is one of many signed with Harvard, the ministry said, adding that Taiwan now has doctorate scholarship agreements with 18 schools that are ranked in the top 100 worldwide.
CRIME
Gun workshop uncovered
A man on Thursday was arrested at a residence in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和) where an workshop for converting firearms was concealed, local authorities said. The man, surnamed Wu (吳), is suspected of contravening the Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例) and the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例), police said. A converted handgun, a converted shotgun, 27 shotgun shells and other shells, as well as tools for converting firearms were seized, police said, adding that about 2.5 grams of heroin and 0.5 grams of amphetamine were also found. The Criminal Investigation Bureau raided the residence after receiving a tip-off, police added.
SOCIETY
Worker dies at sewage plant
The body of a man, who worked for a company contracted by the Taipei City Government to remove scum from sedimentation tanks at Dihua Sewage Treatment Plant, was retrieved on Sunday, about six hours after he fell into one of the clarifiers, the city’s Public Works Department said. The worker, surnamed Chang (張), fell into the clarifier as he was opening the tank lid at about 11am, it said. Firefighters were called immediately, while emergency measures were adopted including lowering the tank’s water level and using equipment to extract sludge from the tank. However, rescuers were unable to locate Chang until 5:10pm, the department said. An investigation is being launched to determine the cause of the incident, it added. The Taipei Labor Inspection Office said the sedimentation tank is 10m deep, but the contractor failed to provide its employees with secure safety belts, so it would be fined up to NT$300,000 for contravening occupational safety regulations.
EDUCATION
NTHU embracing AI
National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) has been incorporating generative artificial intelligence (AI) education in its humanities and social science courses, a school official said on Thursday. NTHU dean of academic affairs Wu Yung-hsien (巫勇賢) said generative AI courses were set up in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and the College of Education last semester. Five more courses are to be offered in fields such as cultural analysis, history research, law and policy this semester, Wu said. Although AI is likely to become ubiquitous, such technology would not be able to replace humanities students trained in people-oriented critical thinking, Wu said. To maintain competence as technology advances and society changes, humanities students must use AI tools to their advantage, he said. NTHU is the first university in Taiwan to create a team dedicated to generative AI.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
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