Tue, Jul 16, 2024
Democracy should not be used against democracy, President William Lai (賴清德) said during a visit to the national archives on Commemoration Day of the Lifting of Martial Law yesterday.Lai and Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) visited the National Archives Administration and its reading center to review decla
The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a series of bills to facilitate employment for middle-aged and older people, safe use of pesticides, restoration of historic sites and promotion of the national sports team’s welfare.Amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), the Middle-aged and Elderly Em
Taiwanese tennis ace Hsieh Su-wei (謝淑薇) on Sunday won the ninth Grand Slam title of her career when she and Jan Zielinski of Poland defeated Mexican duo Santiago Gonzalez and Giuliana Olmos in the mixed doubles final at Wimbledon in London.Hsieh and Zielinski won the mixed doubles title after beatin
‘TAKE A STEP BACK’: The US president garbled a few words and phrases in his address, and conservative news outlets were quick to highlight his stumbles US President Joe Biden on Sunday used the formal setting of the White House Oval Office to ask Americans to lower the political temperature and remember they are neighbors after a would-be assassin wounded Republican rival former US president Donald Trump.Trump’s shooting at a rally in Pennsylvania
China yesterday posted lower than expected growth in the second quarter, with all eyes on how top officials gathering for a key meeting in Beijing might seek to tackle the nation’s deepening economic malaise.The world’s second-largest economy is grappling with a real estate debt crisis, weakening co
SECURITY CONCERNS: An FBI agent said it was surprising that the shooter, whose motive remains unknown, was able to open fire before the Secret Service killed him On the heels of an apparent attempt to kill him, former US president Donald Trump yesterday called for unity and resilience as shocked leaders across the political divide recoiled from the shooting that left him injured, but “fine,” and the shooter and a rally-goer dead.The presumptive Republican pr
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday condemned the shooting of former US president Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, in the run-up to November’s election, and said he hoped for his quick recovery.“My thoughts and prayers are with former US President Trump and I wish him a swift reco
HIGH STANDARDS: The city first launched the Food Service Hygiene Rating System in 2015 to raise food safety standards and promote cleanliness and quality The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it would expand its good restaurant hygiene certification mark system to more shopping districts this year, and issue the mark in four languages.After a rare bongkrek acid food poisoning case caused six fatalities in Taipei in March, many suspected food
FAMILY CARERS: Taiwan is predicted to become a ‘super-aged society’ in 2026 and there would be an increasing demand for long-term care services The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s family caregiver care hotline receives more than 6,000 calls each year, and for the first time “seeking emotional support” ranked top among the reasons for calling last year, the ministry said yesterday.As Taiwan is predicted to become a “super-aged society” with
The National Symphony Youth Orchestra is to go on its first overseas tour next month.Ninety music students from Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and the US are to gather at the Miaobei Art Center in Miaoli County on July 20 to form the third edition of the youth orchestra, the National Symphony Or
Complaints by Taipei residents about defective park playgrounds have risen to more than 1,000 cases in the past two years, Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Hung Wan-jen (洪婉臻) said yesterday.Among the 446 playgrounds in the city, 1,345 complaints were reported last year, up from 1,0
BACKDOOR? The DPP accused the TPP of changing the consensus by introducing motions that would make it easier for Chinese to obtain Taiwanese citizenship Lawmakers yesterday traded barbs over a proposed new residents’ rights protection act (新住民權益保障法草案) after the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) threatened to withdraw its support in objection to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) saying that it was pandering to China by reducing the waiting period for
CHANGES: Employees no longer have to retire at the age of 65. Employers must cover their insurance and pension until a retirement age agreement is reached The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed the third reading of amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) that would no longer require workers to retire at the age of 65.Advocates from labor rights groups had called on political parties to abolish the clause on mandatory retirement at the age of 65,
Two films with Taiwanese elements intrigued audiences at the 58th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) with their unique qualities, a festival consultant said, adding that they hope there would be more cinematic exchanges between Taiwan and the Czech Republic.Pierce (刺心切骨), a film set in
The Garden of Hope Foundation has called for amendments to regulations that require the media not to name institutions involved in child abuse cases, to prevent more children from being abused while the investigation is under way.While aimed at protecting children’s privacy, laws that restrict the m
A male Malayan tapir was born at the Taipei Zoo yesterday morning. He weighs 7.05kg and is 64cm long.
EXTRA LIFT: While Trump’s odds of beating Biden might have risen temporarily after Saturday’s shooting, a lot can change before November, an economist said Equity markets yesterday were mixed as investors weighed the effects of the assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump with data suggesting it has boosted his chances of being re-elected president.Eyes are also on a key meeting of China’s top leadership in Beijing, with hopes for meas
POWER BOOST: Taiwan needs to add 12% to 13% more capacity during peak hours to meet demand amid an AI boom, the Energy Administration said Taiwan’s power consumption is to increase faster at an annual compound growth rate of 2.5 percent over the next five years, mainly driven by an eightfold surge in electricity usage by artificial intelligence (AI) applications, the Energy Administration said yesterday.The latest forecast represented
Singapore-based DBS Bank yesterday raised its forecast for Taiwan’s GDP growth this year to 4.2 percent, from the 3.5 percent it predicted in April, as the nation’s exports are expected to improve, aided by demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications.DBS senior economist Ma Teiying (馬鐵英) to
A survey by online job bank yes123 showed that 50.2 percent of local companies said they had raised wages in the first half of this year, compared with 44.8 percent in the same period last year. However, the same survey showed that only 16.3 percent of workers reported pay increases in the first hal
For a long time, the air force’s battle plan has been to use segments of the nation’s freeways as contingency runways for its military aircraft in the event of an invasion and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) destroy or damage the nation’s runways. Currently, the distribution of Taiwan’s
The 75th anniversary summit of NATO was held in Washington from Tuesday to Thursday last week. Its main focus was the reinvigoration and revitalization of NATO, along with its expansion. The shadow of domestic electoral politics could not be avoided. The focus was on whether US President Biden would
‘A FIGHTER’: After winning in straight sets, Alcaraz said he still believes that Djokovic is ‘Superman,’ because of what he achieved after just having had knee surgery Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday overpowered seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in straight sets to retain his Wimbledon title in a brutal statement that the new era of men’s tennis has arrived.The Spanish third seed produced a performance combining awesome power with delicate touch to win 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/
Mikel Oyarzabal struck Spain’s Euro 2024 final winner against England on Sunday, but La Roja’s triumph was inspired from start to finish by explosive wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal.The youngsters have been key on their side’s run to the final in Berlin and combined to send Spain ahead agains
Lionel Messi pumped his arms. The trophy bounced up and down in his grasp. Tears of frustration from an hour or so earlier had turned to laughs and hugs for the two-time Copa America champion and FIFA World Cup winner.Messi was forced to watch much of the second half and extra time because of a leg
Former NFL receiver Jacoby Jones, whose 108-yard kickoff return in 2013 remains the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history, has died at the age of 40.The Houston Texans, Jones’ team for the first five seasons of his career, announced his death on Sunday. In a statement released by the NFL Players A
JOINT DRILLS: The nations’ naval forces carried out on-map military simulation and tactical coordination exercises after the opening ceremony in Zhanjiang Chinese and Russian naval forces on Sunday began a joint exercise at a military port in southern China, news agency Xinhua reported, days after NATO allies called Beijing a “decisive enabler” of the war in Ukraine.The Chinese Ministry of National Defense in a brief statement said that forces from bo
Global childhood vaccination levels have stalled, leaving millions more children unvaccinated or undervaccinated than before the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN said yesterday, warning of dangerous coverage gaps enabling outbreaks of diseases such as measles.Last year, 84 percent of children, or 108 milli
‘WE ALL LOVE HIM’: President Paul Kagame enjoys great support after overseeing economic growth rates of an average of 7.2% and the development of infrastructure Polling stations opened across Rwanda yesterday for presidential and parliamentary elections, with Rwandan President Paul Kagame set to cruise to victory and extend his iron-fisted rule for another five years.Rwanda’s de facto leader since the end of the 1994 genocide and president since 2000, Kagam
It is truly remarkable how intense the political games being played to be in position to run for top offices in the 2026 local elections already is this far out. Previous columns have examined the northern and southern metropolises and this will explore Taichung, which is shaping up quite differentl
Like many people juggling long hours at work, Chiharu Shimoda sought companionship via a dating app. For two months, he exchanged messages with five or six potential partners, but it wasn’t long before he was seeking out just one — a 24-year-old named Miku. Three months later, they got married. The
Last week the Economist (“A short history of Taiwan and China, in maps,” July 10) and Al Jazeera both sent around short explainers of the Taiwan-China issue.The Al Jazeera explainer, which discussed the Cold War and the rivalry between the US and the People’s Republic of China (PRC), began in the po
Taiwan wants to lure higher-spending travelers from Southeast Asia as Chinese arrivals dwindle, a shift that could reshape the island’s tourism industry.Despite increasingly fraught relations across the strait, visitors from across Asia, and Southeast Asia in particular, are traveling to Taiwan in g
對話 Dialogue清清:你怎麼了?黑眼圈那麼重!Qīngqing: Nǐ zěnmele? Hēiyǎnquān nàme zhòng!華華:慘了!這麼容易就被看出來了!還不是地震害的!我怕得整夜都沒睡。Huáhua: Cǎnle! Zhème róngyì jiù bèi kàn chūláile! Háibúshì dìzhèn hài de! Wǒ pà de zhěngyè dōu méi shuì.清清:搖得很厲害嗎?我睡著了,完全沒感覺。Qīngqing: Yáo de hěn lìhài ma? Wǒ shuìzháole, wánquán méi gǎnjué.華華:天哪!
Stalls selling egg-shaped pancakes are often found on the streets or in night markets in Taiwan. These pancakes are cooked using molds to create shapes with the pancake batter. They are delicious traditional snacks with affordable prices. Egg-shaped pancakes are made with only four ingredients: flou
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% | ![]() |