FOOD
Special dish to be launched
The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday said it and Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co would jointly launch a spring special offer on hybrid tiger giant grouper dishes from Thursday next week. The dishes would be made by Michelin-starred chefs, including fish on spring vegetable mille-feuille with marmalade. It would be available on Nishi-Nippon Railroad’s tourist trains for three months, while Taiwan-style grouper fillet and bento would be sold at the railway company’s supermarkets from next month. Japan has permitted imports of the hybrid grouper from Taiwan since October last year. The ministry collaborated with Nishi-Nippon Railroad to promote the fish among Japanese.
SPORTS
Crowds expected at Dome
A near full house is expected at the 40,000-capacity Taipei Dome for Taiwan’s decisive 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) qualifying playoff against Spain tonight. All additional NT$500 tickets released for today’s game were snapped up within seconds of going on sale, tixCraft said. Capacity was increased after a loss to Nicaragua consigned Taiwan to the second-versus-third playoff on Sunday. The four-team qualifying tournament at the Taipei Dome, one of two for the WBC, comprises a six-game round-robin and a single-elimination playoff for the teams finishing second and third. Taiwan finished third in the round-robin section following a 12-5 loss to Spain, a 9-1 win over South Africa and a 6-0 defeat to Nicaragua, which clinched them a spot at next year’s WBC. Taiwan’s previous qualifier games saw strong attendance, drawing 35,325 fans against Spain on Friday, 35,868 against South Africa on Saturday and 35,565 against Nicaragua on Sunday.
POLITICS
Taichung mayor visits Japan
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) departed for Japan yesterday to focus on city diplomacy and to study Japan’s domed stadiums to help accelerate the construction of Taichung’s large multi-purpose dome. Speaking to reporters before her departure, Lu emphasized Japan’s significance as a key partner for Taiwan and Taichung. The six-day trip is her first visit to Japan since taking office six years ago. It includes stops in Sapporo, Nagoya and Tokyo, with four days dedicated to official engagements, she said. Lu said her delegation would visit four of Japan’s domed stadiums, and study their functions, operational models and financial strategies. Construction of Taichung Arena is under way, while the city plans to build another domed stadium capable of hosting baseball games and large-scale international performances, Lu said.
HEALTH
Premier issues ER order
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday instructed the Ministry of Health and Welfare to report on measures to address overcrowding in hospital emergency rooms (ER) across the country, Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said. Due to unprecedented overcrowding in ERs, the Taiwan Society of Emergency Medicine on Saturday issued a rare call for help, saying that if the situation worsens, hospitals could face a mass resignation of emergency medical workers. Lee said the number of patients seeking emergency treatment for flu-related complications this season has been several times higher than in the past nine years. The ministry said it would continue to assist hospitals in allocating medical staff and hospital beds, and improving triage systems and patient transfers, while some medical institutions have initiated internal staff adjustments.
A Taiwanese woman on Sunday was injured by a small piece of masonry that fell from the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican during a visit to the church. The tourist, identified as Hsu Yun-chen (許芸禎), was struck on the forehead while she and her tour group were near Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Hsu was rushed to a hospital, the group’s guide to the church, Fu Jing, said yesterday. Hsu was found not to have serious injuries and was able to continue her tour as scheduled, Fu added. Mathew Lee (李世明), Taiwan’s recently retired ambassador to the Holy See, said he met
A BETRAYAL? It is none of the ministry’s business if those entertainers love China, but ‘you cannot agree to wipe out your own country,’ the MAC minister said Taiwanese entertainers in China would have their Taiwanese citizenship revoked if they are holding Chinese citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. Several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), earlier this month on their Weibo (微博) accounts shared a picture saying that Taiwan would be “returned” to China, with tags such as “Taiwan, Province of China” or “Adhere to the ‘one China’ principle.” The MAC would investigate whether those Taiwanese entertainers have Chinese IDs and added that it would revoke their Taiwanese citizenship if they did, Chiu told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper
The Chinese wife of a Taiwanese, surnamed Liu (劉), who openly advocated for China’s use of force against Taiwan, would be forcibly deported according to the law if she has not left Taiwan by Friday, National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials said yesterday. Liu, an influencer better known by her online channel name Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣), obtained permanent residency via marriage to a Taiwanese. She has been reported for allegedly repeatedly espousing pro-unification comments on her YouTube and TikTok channels, including comments supporting China’s unification with Taiwan by force and the Chinese government’s stance that “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.” Liu
FATE UNKNOWN: The owner of the dog could face a fine of up to NT$150,000 and the animal could be euthanized if he cannot show that he can effectively supervise it A pit bull terrier has been confiscated by authorities after it yesterday morning bit a motorcyclist in Taipei, following footage of the same dog in a similar attack going viral online earlier this month. When the owner, surnamed Hsu (徐), stopped at a red light on Daan District’s (大安) Wolong Street at 8am, the dog, named “Lucky,” allegedly rolled down the automatic window of the pickup truck they were riding in, leapt out of the rear passenger window and attacked a motorcyclist behind them, Taipei’s Daan District Police Precinct said. The dog clamped down on the man’s leg and only let go
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