SPACE
China rocket launch today
China is to launch a rocket carrying a satellite that would likely fly over Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) today, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. It would be one of at least a dozen satellites launched by China in the past two years with a flight path over Taiwan or its ADIZ, but none of them have threatened Taiwan’s security so far, as the rockets have usually left the atmosphere by the time they pass over Taiwan. Since earlier this year, the ministry has routinely issued information about such launches, in what it said is an effort to keep the public informed about China’s activities in the vicinity of Taiwan. The ministry said the satellite would be launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in China’s Sichuan Province. The rocket’s flight path would take it toward the western Pacific and over Taiwan’s ADIZ, it said.
CRIME
Deepfake victims win suit
The High Court ruled on Wednesday that two Taiwanese YouTubers found guilty of creating nonconsensual deepfake pornography using the likenesses of real people must compensate their victims for a total of NT$1.85 million (US$56,630). The ruling allows for an appeal. The six Internet celebrities who filed a civil lawsuit against Chu Yu-chen (朱玉宸) and his assistant Chuang Hsin-jui (莊炘睿) would each receive between NT$200,000 and NT$500,000 in emotional distress compensation, the court said. The criminal part of the case was finalized earlier this year, with Chu and Chuang sentenced to five and four-and-a-half years in prison respectively.
CULTURE
Floating library opens
The Doulos Hope, a floating bookshop operated by the German-based Christian charity GBA Ships, opened to the public in Kaohsiung on Wednesday as it began its three-city tour of Taiwan. The former cruise ship docked at Kaohsiung Port’s Pier 8 is stocked with more than 2,000 books on a range of topics, including 320 donated by the Ocean Affairs Council. The Doulos Hope is to be in Kaohsiung until Jan. 12, Hualien from Jan. 16 to Feb. 2 and Keelung from Feb. 6 to March 9, the council said. It is open to the public from 1pm to 8:30pm every day except Tuesday. Visitors are required to book in advance online at https://gbaships.littleboxoffice.com. Tickets cost NT$50, with free admission for children aged six or under and people aged 65 or above.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
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