NATURE
Flying fox rescue a first
The recent rescue of a young Formosan flying fox, the first such case in Taiwan, represents a significant milestone in megabat conservation in the country, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said on Wednesday. The agency’s Hualien branch said that a two-week-old male flying fox — considered an endangered species in Taiwan, with a report saying there could be as few as 200 in the country — was reported by an environmental volunteer in downtown Hualien City on Saturday last week. The animal was transferred to a wildlife aid station, it said, adding that initially, the team took the pup back to where it was found so its mother had an opportunity to take it back. However, none of the adult flying foxes approached the pup, it said. The branch then sent the pup to the WildOne Wildlife Conservation Association. Any further arrangements would depend on the pup’s health, it said.
TECHNOLOGY
Tsai praises video games
Video game consoles are more than just entertainment and provide huge business opportunities for Taiwan given their expanding technological applications, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday. Speaking at the 27th GTI Asia Taipei Expo opening, Tsai said consoles have rapidly become an indicator of technological innovation, and owing to their diverse applications, the gaming console industry provides the nation with immense business opportunities. She said the industry’s total output reached NT$30 billion (US$921 million) last year. The GTI Asia Taipei Expo is being held in Hall 1 at the Taipei World Trade Center and runs until Monday.
CRIME
Babysitter indicted
The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday indicted a licensed babysitter for allegedly abusing a seven-month-old in her care. Footage taken in the residence from Feb. 19 to 21 showed 20 instances in which the babysitter, surnamed Yeh (葉), either pressed her feet against the baby’s face for more than 40 seconds, dragged and threw him on the floor or hit his head, prosecutors said. The issue came to light after the infant’s father found him drowsy and limp on Feb. 21. After initially being treated at a clinic, the baby developed a high fever and had seizures. The father took him to the intensive care unit of Mackay Memorial Hospital the next day. Doctors concluded that the baby had experienced severe physical trauma, resulting in intracranial and retinal hemorrhaging, as well as epileptic seizures. There was also evidence of brain atrophy, raising concerns about developmental delays, prosecutors said.
ART
NTNU exhibits Polaroid
An exhibition showcasing artworks created using Polaroid pictures, film and iconic instant cameras from the brand’s back catalog is being held at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), the school’s art museum said on Thursday. The Polaroid Project: At the Intersection of Art and Technology is hailed by the NTNU Art Museum as the largest-ever exhibition of its kind in the nation. The show, featuring more than 300 artworks by 120 international artists, is a collaborative effort between the museum, the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography in the US and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Museum. The exhibition offers a comprehensive insight into a marketing campaign launched by Polaroid in the mid-20th century, featuring such well-known artists and photographers as Andy Warhol and Andre Kertesz, the museum said.
Also showcased are landmark Polaroid models such as the SX-70, the first folding single-lens reflex camera, and the Polaroid Big Shot camera made famous by Warhol. Visitors will also be able to learn about the company’s history from the chronicle of major events at Polaroid.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner