INTERNATIONAL
Work holiday program opens
A reciprocal working holiday program between Taiwan and Israel is open for applications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. It allows up to 200 people aged between 18 and 30 from each country to work in the other country for up to one year. The agreement was signed by both sides on May 3, 2023, the ministry said. The program would give young people a chance to experience life in another country, learn about each other’s cultures, and deepen mutual understandings and friendships, it added. For more information on how to apply, visit https://www.youthtaiwan.net or https://new.embassies.gov.il/taipei/zh-hant, the ministry said.
Photo: Taipei Times
SOCIETY
Two dead in scooter crash
Two 19-year-old Filipino students enrolled at a technology university in Kaohsiung were killed in a scooter crash in the city’s Cijin District (旗津) early yesterday morning, police said. They were riding a scooter southbound on Cijin 3rd Road (旗津三路) at 4:30am when they struck a roadside curb, the police said. The passenger, identified by his Chinese surname Su (蘇) on his student ID, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver, identified by his Chinese surname Ou (歐) on his student ID, was taken to the hospital, but was later declared dead. Police said the cause of the crash is still being investigated. Authorities urged motorcyclists to stay alert, maintain safe speeds and exercise caution, especially during periods of low visibility, such as at nighttime or early morning.
SOCIETY
Beloved nun dies
Sister Giusebbiana Frongia, an Italian-born nun who became a Taiwanese citizen in 2017, passed away on Friday at the age of 93 after dedicating 65 years to caring for underprivileged children in a remote village in Hsinchu County, Jhubei City Mayor Cheng Chao-fang (鄭朝方) said. Cheng announced the death of Sister Giusebbiana, who was also known by her Chinese name, Chao Hsiu-jung (趙秀容), on Friday. Born in Sardinia in 1932, Frongia came to Taiwan in 1960 and dedicated her life to educating indigenous children in Hsinchu County’s Jianshi Township (尖石) and missionary work, Cheng said, adding that she built a Catholic church and a kindergarten there and spent decades supporting and assisting the indigenous Atayal people. Calling her “Taiwan’s equivalent of Mother Teresa,” Cheng said Frongia — known as “Mumu” (mother in the Atayal language) — left a legacy of enduring love in Taiwan.
POLITICS
Pro-Taiwan party renamed
The pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (台灣團結聯盟) has officially changed its name to the Taiwan Solidarity Party (台聯黨), party Chairwoman Chou Ni-an (周倪安) said yesterday. Chou said that the party’s original name in Chinese is too much of a mouthful. The name change is intended to usher in a fresh start, she said. The party has stronger support in central and southern Taiwan, where many residents regard former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) as its spiritual leader, Chou said. Following Lee’s passing, many people mistakenly believed the party had disbanded or faded into obscurity, “but we are still here,” she said. The word “union” in the party’s former name sometimes led people to mistake it for a club or society, rather than a political party. Founded 24 years ago with the aim of bolstering Taiwan and its economy, the party has always prioritized the nation’s interests, she said, adding that its platforms differ from those of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
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