The number of centenarians in Taiwan hit a record 5,749 as of Aug. 29, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday as the nation celebrated the Double Ninth Festival.
The festival, also known as the Chongyang Festival or Senior Citizens’ Day, falls on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month and honors the elderly. To mark the occasion, the government gives cash gifts and gold lock-shaped charms symbolizing longevity and good health to citizens aged 100 and above.
This year’s procurement for the charms totaled about NT $76.99 million (US$2.51 million), up from nearly NT$60 million last year, according to acting head of the ministry’s Department of Social and Family Affairs Chou Tao-chun (周道君).
Photo courtesy of the Office of the President
Chou said the number of centenarians has grown steadily, from 5,011 in 2023 to 5,542 in 2024, before rising again this year by 738, or about 15 percent.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
An elderly man with underlying health conditions died in mid-January, eight days after the onset of symptoms, marking Taiwan’s first hantavirus death this year, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The man, who was in his 70s and lived in Taipei’s Daan District (大安), tested positive posthumously for hantavirus after passing away on Jan. 13 from sepsis complicated by multiple organ failure and pneumonia, the CDC said in a press release. According to the CDC, the man sought treatment on Jan. 6 for respiratory issues and low blood pressure before returning two
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