SOCIETY
Park responds to deer issue
Kenting National Park Headquarters called on the public to refrain from collecting wild specimens from scenic and protected areas, which is prohibited by law, unless they have obtained approval. Under Article 17 of the National Park Act (國家公園法), collecting wild specimens is permitted only after receiving approval from the National Nature Park Headquarters, it said. The statement comes in the wake of a viral video uploaded on Threads, where a couple was holding a naturally shed sika deer antler they picked up at the Kenting park, with the two talking about how they had been searching for it and were taking it home with them. People online questioned the legality of the couple’s actions, but the poster said sika deer was not a protected species and that he had already inquired with the 7th Special Police Corps, who said it was “OK.” The Kenting park authority said that without permission from the park headquarters, such actions are illegal, and the offender would be subject to a NT$3,000 fine.
Photo courtesy of Kenting National Park Headquarters
CRIME
Body found in fishing port
The body of a man was found in a Kaohsiung fishing port early yesterday and has been identified as the skipper of a towboat that capsized on Friday, the Port of Kaohsiung Police Department said. First responders recovered the body from the Cihou Fishing Port (旗后漁港) after receiving a report from a local police station around midnight, the harbor police said, adding that a family member of the 25-year-old towboat captain, surnamed Yang (楊), identified the body. Yang had been missing since the vessel capsized not far from the fishing port, when it was assisting a fishing vessel out of the Port of Kaohsiung, the police said. The search-and-rescue team was unable to locate the skipper following the accident, while the only other crew member on board, a 33-year-old man surnamed Chen (陳), managed to swim to shore. No apparent wounds were observed during the initial examination of the body. Police said prosecutors would be notified to conduct an autopsy. What caused the towboat to capsize remains under investigation, the police said.
CULTURE
Novel shortlisted for prize
The translated version of Northwest Rain (西北雨), a novel by Taiwanese author Tung Wei-ge (童偉格), has been shortlisted for the 2024 Josef Jungmann Award, the Czech Literary Translators’ Guild (CLTG) said. The novel is one of 25 selected from nearly 90 entries in 24 languages, with Northwest Rain being the only Chinese-language work on the list, the CLTG said. The Josef Jungmann Award, established in 1991 and named after Czech linguist and translator Josef Jungmann, is regarded as the country’s most prestigious literary translation award, the guild said. It is presented annually for the best translation of a foreign-language work into Czech, with this year’s winner to be announced on Sept. 30, International Translation Day. Northwest Rain employs techniques such as “rewinding, repeating, skipping and delaying to reassemble fragments about death and family history,” the Ministry of Culture said. Tung teaches at the Taipei National University of the Arts, it said, adding that his work often explores themes of death and memory.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
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