SOCIETY
Four hurt in Miaoli blast
Four people were injured in a blast at a restaurant in Miaoli City yesterday morning, local firefighters said, although they were not immediately sure what caused the incident. The explosion took place at a beef noodle shop. Miaoli County Fire Bureau received a report of the incident at 10:18am. Three bystanders had severe burns, and the blast was so powerful that it sent shards of glass flying, cutting the leg of a vendor selling sweet potatoes across the street, firefighters said. The injured were sent to hospital, and firefighters were searching for clues as to what might have caused the explosion. Nearby residents said they heard a loud boom and thought it was thunder.
DIPLOMACY
Taipei donates to Guam
Taiwan on Friday donated US$200,000 to help the US island territory of Guam in the western Pacific with recovery efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Guam said in a statement. The donation was presented at a ceremony on behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by TECO Guam Office Director-General Paul Chen (陳盈連) to American Red Cross Guam Chapter CEO Chita Blaise. It is hoped the donation will help the people of Guam overcome the difficulties they face in the aftermath of the typhoon, Chen said. The US$200,000 donation by the government is the highest sum the Guam Chapter has received so far for Typhoon Mawar disaster relief, said Blaise and Denise Everhart, disaster executive at the American Red Cross Pacific Division.
TECHNOLOGY
Stanford opens Taiwan hub
The Taiwan Science & Technology Hub at Stanford University opened on Friday under the initiative of the National Science and Technology Council. Cooperation in semiconductor manufacturing and design between Taiwan and the US is expected to enhance economic security worldwide, in particular in the generative artificial intelligence era, Council Minister Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) said in a speech at the opening ceremony. Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne said he expected the hub to serve as a bridge between Taiwan and the San Francisco Bay Area in technology resource integration. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) received a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford in 1964, while Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) and Yahoo founder Jerry Yang (楊致遠), both of whom were born in Taiwan, also graduated from Stanford, Stanford School of Engineering dean Jennifer Widom said, adding that the Taiwan Science & Technology Hub would enable the list of such talent to grow.
SOCIETY
Ukraine orchestra in Taiwan
The National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine is to perform in Taiwan for the first time from Sept. 11 to 13, highlighting musicians and composers from the country, the concert organizer said on Wednesday. The orchestra’s performances in Taichung, Kaohsiung and Taipei would be conducted by Volodymyr Sirenko, KHAM Inc said. All three concerts feature Ukrainian pianist Antonii Baryshevskyi, the first prize winner of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in 2014, KHAM said. When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, the orchestra, founded in 1918, took a forced break, but resumed rehearsing and performing in April that year, KHAM said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
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