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.
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
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