TOURISM
Taipei tops Asia list
A US magazine has named Taipei the best leisure destination in Asia for the fourth straight year. The Global Traveler survey also ranked Taiwan second in the “Best Adventure Destination, International” category, trailing India. Tourism Bureau Los Angeles office director Brad Shih (施照輝) said that the ranking reflected Taiwan’s tourism assets, which range from natural attractions to cosmopolitan charm. Travel activities promoted by the bureau include cycling, island-hopping and hiking, and have been well received by the US public, Shih said. Based on conversations with US travel agents and his own observations, Shih said he thinks that travelers would be more inclined to take individual trips or smaller groups tours in the post-COVID-19 era. Global Traveler’s Leisure Lifestyle Award list is based on a survey conducted from Dec. 14 last year to April 30 among the magazine’s subscribers and online readers.
DEFENSE
Military reshuffle touted
Army Commander General Chen Pao-yu (陳寶餘) is to assume the post of chief of the general staff beginning on Thursday next week, the Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday. Chen would replace Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光), who is retiring, the ministry said in a statement. Vice Chief of the General Staff Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) is to take the position of army commander, and Vice Chief of the General Staff Mei Chia-shu (梅家樹) is to assume the post left by Hsu, it said. Vice Minister of National Defense Chang Guan-chung (張冠群) is to assume the role of military strategy adviser at the Presidential Office, it said. National Defense University president Wang Hsin-lung (王信龍) is to succeed Chang, while Vice Minister of National Defense Chang Che-ping (張哲平) is to take the post left by Wang, it said.
EDUCATION
School start delayed
Schools are to start the new school year on Sept. 1, two days later than scheduled, to allow time for the implementation of COVID-19 prevention measures, the National Federation of Teachers Unions said on Thursday after a meeting of local governments and representatives of educational groups. Proper disinfection is an important consideration during the two-day period, as some school campuses would host polling stations for referendums on Aug. 28, union deputy secretary-general Chang Chiung-fang (張瓊方) said. The extra days give the schools time to thoroughly clean their campuses and make other preparations before the students return from their two-month summer break, he said. With the break due to start on Saturday next week, students would to have a 60-day vacation, he said.
CULTURE
Munich to host Taiwan show
Architecture designed in the wake of the devastating 921 Earthquake is to be featured in an exhibition in Munich, Germany, next month. Running from July 8 to Oct. 3, the exhibition, titled “Taiwan Acts: Architecture in Social Dialogue,” would highlight Taiwan’s focus on the social roles of buildings after the destruction of many structures and the loss of 2,400 lives in the Sept. 21, 1999 earthquake, the Technical University of Munich Architecture Museum said. The displays include projects aimed at improving the urban structure of Yilan County, cultural buildings, and infrastructure and houses in other parts of Taiwan, the museum said. The exhibition, the largest of its kind to date, shows commitment to a building and planning culture that has emerged from open social dialogue, the museum said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
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