About NT$1.59 billion (US$49.13 million) had been donated to earthquake relief efforts in Hualien County as of 8am today, the last day government donation accounts will be open.The day after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck off the east coast on April 3, the Taiwan Foundation for Disaster Relief af
A NECESSITY: Last month’s magnitude 7.2 earthquake underscored the dangers of storing spent fuel in reactor cooling pools and the need to build dry storage facilities
Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) and the New Taipei City Government have struck a deal to allow the activation of the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant’s spent fuel storage facility, ending an 11-year legal battle, the state-owned electricity company said yesterday.The dry storage facility, which was design
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said
The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods.The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be impl
Paintings that are to be shown at the “Masterpieces from the National Gallery, London” exhibition at the Chimei Museum in Tainan — a collaboration between the museum and the National Gallery, London — were unveiled on Wednesday, a day before the exhibition opened yesterday.Organizers of the exhibiti
The Tourism Administration on Tuesday opened its first service center in Europe, at the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris, to provide tourism and travel information on Taiwan.The Taiwan Tourism Information Center was inaugurated to increase the number of travelers visiting Taiwan from Europe, the a
‘GRATUITY’: The Executive Yuan also approved a Ministry of the Interior bill that would offer a NT$75,000 Lunar New Year bonus for borough and village wardens
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved an additional NT$100 billion (US$3.08 billion) for the fiscal 2024 budget to subsidize Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) for sustaining severe losses in complying with government policies.The proposal has been forwarded to the Legislative Yuan for ratification.Without
Prosecutors have listed former Taipei mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) as a suspect in a corruption probe relating to the Core Pacific City (京華城) shopping mall redevelopment and the Beitou Shilin Science Park (北投士林科技園區) project.The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office ye
Vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) on Wednesday called for support from the US Congress and business leaders for Taiwan’s inclusion in the US defense supply chain.“I seek your support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the DoD [US Department of Defense] NDIS [National Defense Industrial Strategy] inter
Members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Statebuilding Party (TSP) yesterday accused Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) of trying to nullify security laws and undermine national sovereignty in the legislature after returning from China.Fu led 16 KMT lawm
Cranes made in China could prove to be a cybersecurity risk, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said yesterday, citing a warning by White House staff earlier this year that more than 200 cranes made in China were being used at US harbors, and that they constituted a p
CONCERN: All sides must conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead of the inauguration of William Lai, Daniel Kritenbrink said
China should refrain from taking any actions that could “escalate tensions, and undermine peace and stability” in the Taiwan Strait in the buildup to the inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德) on May 20, a senior US Department of State official said on Wednesday.No such actions should be
Officials from the Taichung Cultural Affairs Bureau and actors pose at a news conference yesterday promoting the Taichung Matsu International Tourism Festival. The festival, which has been held for many years, features troupes visiting all of the Matsu temples in Taichung. On Sunday, performances an
English National Ballet principal dancer Sangeun Lee, left, and soloist Gareth Haw rehearse the “Black Swan Pas de Deux” at the National Theater in Taipei yesterday. The pair and nine other dancers from world-leading ballet companies are in town for the 15th Ballet Star Gala, which is to be held tom
‘EXPENDITURE CAP’: Facing rising costs and inflation, many healthcare providers are leaving their jobs due to lower salaries, a group of providers’ associations said
With healthcare providers calling for a bill to guarantee the value of each National Health Insurance (NHI) point is at least NT$1, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) yesterday said it might harm the NHI’s global budget payment system and should be further deliberated.Chinese Nation
EARLY DETECTION: About 80% of liver cancer cases are caused by chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infections, a Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital physician said
About 80 percent of liver cancer cases are caused by chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said on Tuesday, adding that the government is offering a one-time free hepatitis B and C screening to people aged 45 to 79, so eligible recipients are encoura
The Executive Yuan on Tuesday nominated National Communications Commission (NCC) Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) to serve as the new NCC chairman, pending approval from lawmakers.Wong, whose term ends on July 31 along with three other commissioners, would replace incumbent NCC Chairman Chen Yaw-sh
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands.They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — t
TRAVEL ADVISORY: The Mainland Affairs Council again asked Taiwanese to refrain from unnecessary travel to China, as new legislation there puts them at greater risk
The National Security Bureau (NSB) identifies up to 30,000 online posts containing false information every week, sending the most notable items to the National Security Council to review, it said yesterday.At a hearing of the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, Chinese Nationalist
SECURITY PREPAREDNESS: An NSB report detailed the measures it was taking to protect critical national infrastructure with security redundancies and inspections
National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) yesterday told lawmakers that Taiwan must harden its undersea cables, but refrained from accusing Beijing of sabotaging the lines.Tsai made the remarks during a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Commi
Opposition lawmakers are to consider freezing the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ budget and requiring legislative approval for electricity price changes, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi said yesterday, after the ministry the day before said it would maintain electricity price h