Fri, Apr 19, 2024
President-elect William Lai (賴清德), the vice president, has been listed by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world this year.Lai, who is to take office as president next month, is a coal miner’s son who became a Harvard-trained public health expert, and prizes problem sol
TAIPEI BENEFITS: Officials said that the rain was heaviest in Nangang and Wugu, but only fell in the lower reaches of Shihmen Reservoir’s catchment area Heavy downpours in northern Taiwan yesterday morning caused flooding, but did little to fill Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫) in Taoyuan, with officials warning that the region could be facing a historic water shortage this year.The Water Resources Agency’s Northern Region Water Resources Branch said the ra
Four US representatives on Wednesday sent a letter to the US House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations calling for US$165 million to expedite the delivery of Harpoon missiles to Taiwan.“Harpoons are the deterrent we urgently need to prevent China from invading or blockading Taiwan,” US Re
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that he strongly supports a proposal from US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, an effort to approve US$95 billion in funding for the US allies.Before the potential weekend voting, Johnson was facing a
Israel considered carrying out a strike on Iran in retaliation for last weekend’s attack, but aborted the plan, Israeli and US media reported.Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles against Israel over the weekend in an attack that caused little damage after most of the projectiles were inte
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions.The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international
ROAD PLANS: Plans to extend Freeway No. 6 to reach Hualien directly are being worked on, but the 90km project poses many challenges, including many tunnels About NT$3 billion (US$92.37 million) would be needed to revitalize tourism in Hualien County after it was devastated on April 3 by a quake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.The quake, the largest to hit Taiwan in 25
HOSPITALITY HIT: Hotels in Hualien have an occupancy rate of 10 percent, down from 30 percent before the earthquake, a Tourism Administration official said The Executive Yuan yesterday unveiled a stimulus package of vouchers and subsidies to revive tourism in Hualien County following a quake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale.The tremor on April 3, which killed at least 17 people and left two others missing, caused the county an estimated NT$3 billion
CASE ONGOING: A child welfare foundation employee is also under investigation for falsifying documents, Taipei prosecutors said A foster carer surnamed Liu (劉) and her younger sister were indicted yesterday on child abuse charges in the case of a one-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten to death in December last year, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said.The Liu sisters are accused of criminal offenses that include
The National Land Management Agency doled out subsidies to 70 projects to strengthen buildings against earthquakes in nine administrative regions from January to last month, it said on Tuesday.The quake-proofing projects consisted of 20 in Taipei, 16 in New Taipei City, 10 in Taitung County, eight i
The army recently concluded two rounds of drills in Pingtung County testing the precision shooting capabilities of its missiles and rockets, the Military News Agency reported yesterday.The two rounds of live-fire exercises included the annual “Mighty Eagle” exercises featuring the Aviation and Speci
Vanilla products from Taiwan have received this year’s Superior Taste Award from the Brussels-based International Taste Institute, the Taoyuan District Agricultural Research and Extension Station said on Wednesday.The two products were “Organic Vanilla Beans” produced by the Taoyuan-based Harmony Or
SMALL BUSINESSES: The changes are expected to benefit more than 10,000 workers nationwide and they could potentially create 4,000 vocational opportunities if passed The Executive Yuan yesterday approved draft amendments to the Act for Development of Small and Medium Enterprises (中小企業發展條例) that would give tax breaks to small businesses if they increase employee wages.The changes are expected to benefit more than 10,000 workers nationwide if passed.The draft amen
HOMECOMING: The council estimates the number of overseas Taiwanese who would attend the presidential inauguration as being between 1,500 and 1,700 Nearly 900 overseas Taiwanese have signed up to attend president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20, Overseas Compatriots Affairs Council Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said yesterday.Since registration for the ceremony opened earlier this month, 870 Taiwanese living abroad had signed u
Proposed legislation by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers to make contempt of the legislature a punishable offense would have a chilling effect, making officials, citizens and civic groups unwilling to come forward to present information at the legislature, Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Mi
Minister of Environment Shieu Fuh-sheng (薛富盛) on Wednesday said he is to step down after the May 20 inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德) next month.Fifteen members of the Lai administration’s Cabinet have been named so far, but no appointment has been announced for environmental ministe
RECORD-BREAKING: TSMC’s net profit last quarter beat market expectations by expanding 8.9% and it was the best first-quarter profit in the chipmaker’s history Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which counts Nvidia Corp as a key customer, yesterday said that artificial intelligence (AI) server chip revenue is set to more than double this year from last year amid rising demand.The chipmaker expects the growth momentum to continue in the next
UNDERPOWERED? The minister-designate has been visiting business owners, supply-chain companies and academics to get first-hand information on power consumption J.W. Kuo (郭智輝), minister of economic affairs-designate and chairman of semiconductor raw materials and equipment supplier Topco Group (崇越集團), yesterday said he would prioritize a sufficient supply of electricity to businesses and supply chains that face urgent power needs after taking office on May
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC Internation
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has proposed a bill to suspend a phased-in reduction of the public pension income replacement ratio that was implemented in 2018. The amendment would not only reintroduce greater financial risks to the pension system, but would also increase the burden on the you
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has been touting the farce of former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) visit to kowtow to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), presenting his “great” contributions. To be fair, Ma’s greatest accomplishment was finally removing all semblance of a smiling and clean-cut
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineeri
‘FRUSTRATING’: Manchester City’s bid for a second successive treble of the UEFA Champions League, English Premier League and FA Cup was ended by Real Madrid Jude Bellingham on Wednesday saluted Real Madrid’s winning “mentality” after the Spanish side held their nerve in a penalty shoot-out to end Manchester City’s reign as UEFA Champions League holders.Bellingham scored one of Madrid’s penalties in the 4-3 shoot-out victory following a 1-1 draw in a dra
Mikel Arteta on Wednesday admitted that Arsenal paid the price for making one big mistake as Bayern Munich’s 1-0 victory sent his side crashing out of the UEFA Champions League.Joshua Kimmich’s second-half header punished slack marking by Arsenal and ended their hopes of reaching the semi-finals for
The Philadelphia 76ers, fueled by 23 points from NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, on Wednesday rallied to beat the Miami Heat 105-104 and book a first-round playoff clash with the New York Knicks.Embiid, still struggling for peak form after missing two months following knee surgery, stepped it
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur.The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled w
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania.Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh.“They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon yesterday agreed to deepen defense cooperation and expressed serious concern over the South China Sea, where the Philippines and China have had maritime run-ins.China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a
SOLOMONS VOTE: Peter Kenilorea said the nation does not have natural enemies, lamenting that it has become a focal point for US-China competition A leading contender to become the Solomon Islands’ next prime minister yesterday vowed to rip up a security pact with China as the Pacific nation began counting votes in its general election.“If we are in government, we will abolish the security treaty,” Peter Kenilorea told reporters from his villa
A fossil jawbone found by a British girl and her father on a beach in Somerset, England belongs to a gigantic marine reptile dating to 202 million years ago that appears to have been among the largest animals ever on Earth.Researchers said on Wednesday the bone, called a surangular, was from a type
You might call it a cup of Joe, java, mud, brew, mocha or your morning jolt. Coffee undoubtedly is a big part of global culture, and the kind made from the Arabica bean is the most appreciated by coffee drinkers.Researchers now have unlocked the genome of the Arabica species and traced its origins t
In Paris’ outskirts, a bright-eyed young girl is eager for the Olympic and Paralympic Games to end.That’s because the swimming club where 10-year-old Lyla Kebbi trains will inherit an Olympic pool. It will be dismantled after the Games and trucked from the Olympic race venue in Paris’ high-rise busi
A: As generative AI keeps evolving, the use of AI technology to “resurrect” people has become an ethical issue.B: The late singer CoCo Lee’s mother even denounced such AI videos featuring CoCo as causing secondary harm.A: But some seem to have a different view.B: How so?A: Like the late singer Whitn
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest.B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans?A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified.B: And more absurdly,
It’s another school day with the same ritual. You wake up to your smartphone’s alarm, scroll through messages during your commute, and listen to your favorite playlist with your wireless earbuds between classes. These devices, integrated smoothly into your daily routine, certainly make life more con
It’s certainly been a pleasure watching the presidential campaign launch of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Hou You-yi (侯友宜) lurch painfully about like a wounded pachyderm in search of an elephant graveyard. Hou’s fall to third place in some polls last week appears early, and it might still be recoverable. But grumbling in his party about replacing him has already begun. Indeed, all indications are that the party that twice gave us Lien Chan (連戰), the most despised politician in Taiwan, as a presidential candidate and later offered voters Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), is arcing along its normal descending trajectory, the North Korean missile test of electoral politics. A KIND OF POLICY PLATFORM Last week the KMT doubled down on this path with Hou’s calls for nuclear power and more death penalty executions, standard KMT fare for decades (the latter is unnecessary since so many potential criminals are likely to die in traffic accidents long before they harm anyone). Apparently KMT policy institutions are not echo chambers so much as mausoleums where dead ideas are embalmed and then periodically put on display. The lack of public policy imagination is obvious. A less obvious facet of KMT ineptitude: with years of speculation that Hou would be their man in 2024, neither Hou nor the party insisted on interesting or experimental public policies to showcase Hou’s greatness in preparation for the showdown. Of course, that is even more true of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Hou’s slide and the media buzz surrounding it are obscuring the truly urgent problem the pro-Taiwan side faces: DPP presidential candidate William Lai (賴清德) has not expanded his voter support beyond the party base. In most polls he remains below 40 percent. Independent voters are staying away in droves, and for the moment the young are turning to
July 17 to July 23 When Yeh Ken-chuang (葉根壯) came of age, the traditional skills of architecture and carpentry that had been in his family for four generations were disappearing. After helping his uncle Yeh Teh-ling (葉得令) construct ships, residences and temples for more than a decade, Yeh struck out on his own at the age of 28 in 1960 as a damusi (大木司, chief carpenter), earning his lifelong title “Chief Chuang” (壯司). Around this time, builders in his homeland of Penghu were increasingly using reinforced concrete instead of wood, due to the humid climate. The period also saw a frenzy in temple construction as the economy improved, meaning there was plenty of work for Yeh. Adept in non-structural techniques such as doors, windows and furniture, as well as the intricate carvings and detailed decorations that adorned the structures, Yeh was able to adapt his skills, leading the reconstruction of the historic Hsiliao Daitian Temple (西寮代天宮) on Penghu’s main island in 1963. According to the book Crossing Traditions in Yeh Ken-chuang’s Large-scale Carpentry Skills (宮廟巧藝 :跨越傳統的葉根壯大木作技術), it was Penghu’s first temple that used a purely reinforced concrete structure. Before his life was cut short, Yeh created more than 70 temples and related structures across the various islands of Penghu and left behind more than 230 building plans. Although Yeh could have built temples and other structures on Taiwan proper, he only worked on a handful of projects outside of Penghu because he wanted to be close to his family. CLAN OF CARPENTERS The Yeh family’s woodworking tradition began with Yeh Ma-li (葉媽利), who learned the architecture and carpentry trade from an unknown master on Kinmen. The Yehs trace their roots to Kinmen, although this branch had been living in Penghu since the early 1600s. Yeh Ma-li was Penghu’s chief temple builder between 1860 and
New Taipei City | 14-23 | 10% | |
Hsinchu County | 14-22 | 10% | |
Hsinchu City | 14-22 | 10% | |
Taipei City | 14-22 | 10% | |
Miaoli County | 12-22 | 10% | |
Taoyuan City | 14-22 | 10% | |
Keelung City | 15-21 | 10% |
Yunlin County | 14-24 | 0% | |
Taichung City | 14-24 | 0% | |
Nantou County | 14-24 | 0% | |
Changhua County | 14-23 | 0% |
Chiayi County | 13-24 | 0% | |
Chiayi City | 14-25 | 0% | |
Tainan City | 15-22 | 0% | |
Kaohsiung City | 17-23 | 0% | |
Pingtung County | 16-25 | 0% |
Yilan County | 14-22 | 10% | |
Hualien County | 16-22 | 10% | |
Taitung County | 17-23 | 10% |
Kinmen County | 11-18 | 0% | |
Penghu County | 17-20 | 0% | |
Lienchiang County | 10-13 | 10% |