EDUCATION
Dispute pending arbitration
A trademark dispute between National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) and New York University (NYU) in the US is pending arbitration by the US Patent and Trademark Office after NYCU stated that it filed the most recent paperwork regarding the issue yesterday. NYCU said that it filed its acronym with the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2021, following a merger and had gained an initial approval. NYU voiced opposition to the trademark application, citing the similarity with its own. Both universities failed to reach a resolution following preliminary discussions, and each presented its defense to the office regarding why the abbreviation was and was not too similar. NYCU secretary-general Tsai Chin-wu (蔡金吾) said the selected acronym aimed to establish a more internationally recognizable brand, adding that the university had no intention of confusing the public’s understanding of NYCU and NYU.
Photo: Taipei Times
TOURISM
Zoo to open until 9pm
Taipei Zoo is to extend its opening hours to 9pm during the summer vacation for eight consecutive Saturdays from July 5 to Aug. 23, and there would also be nighttime tickets available for purchase from 4:30pm to 8pm for NT$60. The zoo’s regular opening hours are from 9am to 5pm, with the last entry at 4pm, but it would remain open until 9pm during the summer months, according to the extended Saturday schedule posted on its Web site. The zoo was closed to the public from Wednesday last week to yesterday for annual maintenance. Visitors who enter the zoo before the night ticket sales begin can stay until closing time without needing to purchase the special nighttime tickets, the zoo said. Regular daytime ticket prices are NT$100 for general admission, NT$50 for concessions and NT$60 for Taipei residents.
CRIME
Tainan RDEC chair quits
The chair of Tainan’s Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) resigned yesterday following an investigation by prosecutors into alleged corruption. Meng Chih-cheng’s (蒙志成) resignation was quickly accepted by the city government after Meng and his wife were released on bail early yesterday following overnight questioning by prosecutors. They had been taken into custody by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday evening after Meng’s office and the couple’s residence were searched on suspicion that they had contravened the Anti-Corruption Act (貪汙治罪條例). The couple allegedly misused government funds and vehicles allocated to Meng for official use. Meng was released on NT$500,000 bail and his wife on NT$50,000 bail.
EDUCATION
School calendar revised
The Ministry of Education has revised the school calendar to avoid a short interruption between the start of the new semester and the Lunar New Year holiday next year, ensuring a continuous winter break for students. Originally, the second semester of the school year was scheduled to begin on Feb. 11 next year, which would have required students to return to school for three days before they started the nine-day Lunar New Year holiday on Feb. 14. In response to concerns from parents about the disruption to family routines, the ministry decided to move the three school days to Jan. 21 to 23. The winter break would start three days later than scheduled on Jan. 24 and extend without interruption through the Lunar New Year holiday, which ends on Feb. 22.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
RSS