PLASTICS EVERYWHERE: A professor urged people to use glass or stainless steel foodware and avoid heating plastic containers to limit their exposure to microplastics
A study by Taiwanese researchers showed a correlation between microplastics and decreased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in seabird chicks. BDNF is a protein that can influence susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.The study examined protein exp
Kaohsiung’s “concert economy” injected billions of New Taiwan dollars in tourism revenue into the local economy last year, amid a concert boom driven by appearances by many international acts.At least 157 concerts were held in Kaohsiung last year, drawing 1.71 million attendees and generating more t
Taiwan’s first drag queen to be featured in internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), returned to the show on Friday to pass her crown to Onya Nurve, the show’s “Next Drag Superstar” of season 17.While fans gave Onya Nurve and her opponent, Jewels Sparkles, their love, Nymphi
A civil society group advocating for the decriminalization of cannabis on Saturday held a rally outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei calling on the government to end its “war” on marijuana.At the “2025 Green Sensation” event, the Taiwan Weed Safety Education Association urged lawmakers and Preside
The Ministry of Culture yesterday honored late Taiwanese painter Dennis Hwang (黃志超) for his artistic achievements.Chou Ya-ching (周雅菁), head of the Department of Arts Development, posthumously conferred a certificate upon Hwang in recognition of his contributions to the arts, which was accepted by Hw
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said
Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said.Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a
CHECKS AND BALANCES: The KMT and TPP said Lai’s administration was eroding judicial independence, while the DPP said the opposition threatened democracy
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) are to hold an opposition leaders’ meeting tomorrow morning, with KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) to attend, both parties confirmed yesterday.The meeting would focus on “returning democracy to
True democracy requires respecting minority views and the Constitutional Court should not be used to resolve political disputes, former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said on Saturday.In a speech titled “The Resilience and Transformation of Taiwan’s Democracy” at the Ketagalan Institute in Taipei, C
Taiwan faces threats from the US as well as China, and it cannot allow its future to be controlled by a handful of “extremists” in the government, former National Taiwan University (NTU) president Kuan Chung-ming (管中閔) said on Saturday.Kuan made the remarks in a speech titled “When a Bull Enters a C
A Chinese cruise ship sailed within 2 nautical miles (3.7km) of Pingtung County’s Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), a group wrote on Facebook on Friday.Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan, posted footage of the Gulang
Campaigners seeking the recall of seven Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they met the second-stage threshold for gathering signatures from at least 10 percent of voters in the representatives’ districts.Three of the legislators are in Taipei, one is in New Taipei City, two
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday paid tribute to “rose boy” Yeh Yung- chih (葉永鋕), whose death in 2000 prompted Taiwan’s designation of April 20 as Gender Equality Education Day.In a Facebook post, the DPP said Yeh’s death 25 years ago spurred the enactment of the Gender Equity E
People run in the New Taipei City Railway Relay yesterday. A total of 1,100 teams took part in the event, which celebrated its 10th anniversary.
People wait to board Taiwan Railway Corp’s “Blue Baby” cruise train that ran on the Neiwan line for the first time on Saturday last week. The state-run company announced yesterday that the train would run again on Saturday this week with four trips: Hsinchu to Jhudong, Jhudong to Neiwan, Neiwan to J
People visit a booth at a pre-Earth Day event to promote vegetarian food in Taipei yesterday, ahead of the annual event held on April 22.
HEALTH RISKS: Climate change has increased the risk of dengue fever, Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming said, adding that water containers should be drained
About 9 billion cigarette butts are improperly discarded every year, the Ministry of Environment said yesterday as it mobilized 50,000 people nationwide to clean streets.The ministry yesterday held an environmental clean-up event named “Team Planet” in support of Earth Day on Tuesday.The event galva
FAILING THEIR STUDENTS: None of the 17 universities surveyed had adequate LGBT and gender equity mechanisms in place, leaving many LGBT students unsupported
A student advocacy group on Friday released the results of a gender equity survey conducted at 17 universities across Taiwan, revealing that all institutions fell short in areas such as support for LGBT students and the functioning of legally required gender equity committees.Under the Gender Equity
The torpedo bat is likely to make its debut in Taiwan’s CPBL sooner than expected after the baseball league announced a way for certified bat providers to quickly get new types of bats into the hands of players.Under a new league rule announced on Friday, once a bat brand is certified by the league,
The Control Yuan has censured the Taichung Labor Affairs Bureau for failing to properly safeguard two Indonesian migrant caregivers who were subjected to abuse and forced labor.Control Yuan members said in a statement on Friday that the bureau conducted rather perfunctory inspections of migrant care
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