A tourist who was struck and injured by a train in a scenic area of New Taipei City’s Pingsi District (平溪) on Monday might be fined for trespassing on the tracks, the Railway Police Bureau said yesterday. The New Taipei City Fire Department said it received a call at 4:37pm on Monday about an incident in Shifen (十分), a tourist destination on the Pingsi Railway Line. After arriving on the scene, paramedics treated a woman in her 30s for a 3cm to 5cm laceration on her head, the department said. She was taken to a hospital in Keelung, it said. Surveillance footage from a
Police have issued warnings against traveling to Cambodia or Thailand when others have paid for the travel fare in light of increasing cases of teenagers, middle-aged and elderly people being tricked into traveling to these countries and then being held for ransom. Recounting their ordeal, one victim on Monday said she was asked by a friend to visit Thailand and help set up a bank account there, for which they would be paid NT$70,000 to NT$100,000 (US$2,136 to US$3,051). The victim said she had not found it strange that her friend was not coming along on the trip, adding that when she
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake and several aftershocks battered southern Taiwan early this morning, causing houses and roads to collapse and leaving dozens injured and 50 people isolated in their village. A total of 26 people were reported injured and sent to hospitals due to the earthquake as of late this morning, according to the latest Ministry of Health and Welfare figures. In Sising Village (西興) of Chiayi County's Dapu Township (大埔), the location of the quake's epicenter, severe damage was seen and roads entering the village were blocked, isolating about 50 villagers. Another eight people who were originally trapped inside buildings in Tainan
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said
Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
‘ARMED GROUP’: Two defendants used Chinese funds to form the ‘Republic of China Taiwan Military Government,’ posing a threat to national security, prosecutors said
A retired lieutenant general has been charged after using funds from China to recruit military personnel for an “armed” group that would assist invading Chinese forces, prosecutors said yesterday. The retired officer, Kao An-kuo (高安國), was among six people indicted for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法), the High Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. The group visited China multiple times, separately and together, from 2018 to last year, where they met Chinese military intelligence personnel for instructions and funding “to initiate and develop organizations for China,” prosecutors said. Their actions posed a “serious threat” to “national security and social stability,” the statement
CLASH OF WORDS: While China’s foreign minister insisted the US play a constructive role with China, Rubio stressed Washington’s commitment to its allies in the region
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday affirmed and welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio statements expressing the US’ “serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan” and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, in a telephone call with his Chinese counterpart. The ministry in a news release yesterday also said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated many fallacies about Taiwan in the call. “We solemnly emphasize again that our country and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and it has been an objective fact for a long time, as well as
The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year. The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year. The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours
NATURAL INTERRUPTION: As cables deteriorate, core wires snap in progression along the cable, which does not happen if they are hit by an anchor, an official said
Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) immediately switched to a microwave backup system to maintain communications between Taiwan proper and Lienchiang County (Matsu) after two undersea cables malfunctioned due to natural deterioration, the Ministry of Digital Affairs told an emergency news conference yesterday morning. Two submarine cables connecting Taiwan proper and the outlying county — the No. 2 and No. 3 Taiwan-Matsu cables — were disconnected early yesterday morning and on Wednesday last week respectively, the nation’s largest telecom said. “After receiving the report that the No. 2 cable had failed, the ministry asked Chunghwa Telecom to immediately activate a microwave backup system, with
‘INDISCRIMINATE’: The drastic changes would delay many national projects as well as undermine global confidence in Taiwan’s resolve to defend itself, the premier said
The Legislative Yuan yesterday on third reading passed the central government budget for this year, cutting 6.6 percent from the Executive Yuan’s proposed expenditure — the largest in history. The budget proposal, which the Cabinet approved in August last year, set government spending at NT$3.1325 trillion (US$95.6 billion), with projected revenues of NT$3.1534 trillion — both record highs — working out to a surplus of NT$20.9 billion. On Friday last week, the opposition-led legislature voted to cut NT$93.98 billion from the budget’s general provisions. During a 20-hour continuous session from Monday until yesterday morning, they continued to slash the budgets of government agencies,
PANDERING TO BEIJING: China will be ‘very pleased’ as the opposition slashed budgets for security units, including fighting online attacks, the premier said
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said the government faced a crisis in day-to-day operations, including national security, because of large cuts to this year’s budget proposed by opposition parties, who have cited a need to cut waste. Although William Lai (賴清德) won the presidential election last year, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in the legislature, giving the opposition the most seats and legislative control that includes spending proposals. The budget proposal, which the Cabinet approved in August last year, set government spending for this year at NT$3.1325 trillion (US$95.48 billion) with projected revenues of NT$3.1534 trillion — both record
INTERPRETATION: DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming said that a request for the Constitutional Court to grant a temporary injunction and review the law had been filed
Measures adopted by the legislature to raise the thresholds for Constitutional Court rulings are to take effect tomorrow after being promulgated by President William Lai (賴清德), while the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus said it has applied for a temporary injunction and a constitutional interpretation of the changes. Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) in a statement said that Lai had signed the amendments to the Constitutional Court Procedure Act (憲法訴訟法) into law. The amendments are to take effect tomorrow, three days after promulgation. Kuo cited the president as saying the measures risked disrupting Constitutional Court operations, usurping the judicial authorities’ powers and
MAGNITUDE 6.4: Houses in two districts in Tainan were severely damaged, including a six-story building, while 28 people were staying in temporary shelters, the city government said
Forty-four people sustained minor injuries and several houses in Tainan and Chiayi County were damaged or collapsed after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake on the Richter scale struck southeast of Chiayi at 12:17am, the National Fire Agency said yesterday as of 5:30pm. The earthquake’s hypocenter was 37.9km southeast of the Chaiyi County Hall in Dapu Township (大埔) at a depth of 9.7km, data from the Central Weather Administration (CWA) showed. The quake shook the ground for about 43 seconds, it added. As of 5pm yesterday, 61 aftershocks had been recorded, including two quakes between magnitudes 5 and 6, 16
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: The initiative aims to help Taiwanese aged 15 to 30 to broaden their horizons and promote Taiwan and its values, an education official said
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday officially launched a government program to fund young Taiwanese’s travel abroad for volunteer work, training or cross-cultural exchanges. The Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative offers more than 800 opportunities this year for Taiwanese nationals aged 15 to 30 to travel overseas for two weeks to one year, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said at the launch in Taoyuan. The program encourages young Taiwanese to “step out of their comfort zone” and take on challenges abroad, with the goal of “broadening their horizons” while promoting Taiwan and its values of freedom and democracy, Yeh said. From the government’s
A master sergeant died this morning after being sucked into an engine during a routine inspection of a fighter jet at an air base in Taichung, the Air Force Command Headquarters said. The officer surnamed Hu (胡) was conducting final landing checks at Ching Chuan Kang (清泉崗) Air Base when she was sucked into the jet’s engine for unknown reasons, the air force said in a news release. She was transported to a hospital for emergency treatment, but was unable to be revived, it said. The air force expressed its deepest sympathies over the incident, and vowed to work with authorities as they
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his first full day in office on Tuesday warned jointly with Japan, India and Australia against coercive actions in Asia, in an apparent warning to China over its actions at sea. Rubio met in Washington with his counterparts from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) a day after the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, who has vowed to push back against China. Rubio and his counterparts from the three other nations in a joint statement promised to work toward a “free and open Indo-Pacific” region. The four said they support a region “where the rule of
When 17-year-old Lin Shih (林石) crossed the Taiwan Strait in 1746 with a group of settlers, he could hardly have known the magnitude of wealth and influence his family would later amass on the island, or that one day tourists would be walking through the home of his descendants in central Taiwan. He might also have been surprised to see the family home located in Wufeng District (霧峰) of Taichung, as Lin initially settled further north in what is now Dali District (大里). However, after the Qing executed him for his alleged participation in the Lin Shuang-Wen Rebellion (林爽文事件), his grandsons were
Taiwan has developed next-generation solar cell components that would boost solar-cell efficiency by more than 31 percent, Academia Sinica said yesterday. Boosting solar-cell efficiency is key in developing solar energy in the nation, given the limited space available to install solar panels, the institute said in a statement. Currently, the highest light-to-electricity conversion efficiency achieved by silicon solar cells is about 22 to 24 percent, the institute said, adding that it is nearly impossible to increase efficiency by 30 percent with silicon solar cells alone. However, perovskite films can be combined with silicon solar cells to form stacked perovskite/silicon solar
Undersea cables are conductors wrapped in insulating materials and laid on the seabed. Their main functions are telecommunications or power transmission. The core of the undersea cables used for Internet signals is optical fiber, using light to transmit Internet signals. Taiwan’s communications are currently handled by 10 domestic undersea cables and 14 international undersea cables. About 99 percent of Taiwan’s Internet bandwidth relies on undersea cables, making them Taiwan’s “digital lifeline.” The demands on the cables’ bandwidth are only set to increase with the development of artificial intelligence (AI), which relies on the data fed into it. Today, data is
Recent events in Taiwan have highlighted the contentious nature of “priority seating” on public transportation. Incidents, such as passengers experiencing emotional distress after being compelled to give up their seats and elderly individuals attacking others after being refused a seat, have prompted a national reassessment of this policy. Some voices in Taiwan now advocate for abolishing priority seats to prevent such conflicts. This issue is not unique to Taiwan. In South Korea, where respect for the elderly is deeply ingrained, priority seating has led to similar confrontations. Younger passengers often face accusations of disrespect if they do not yield seats. In
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