The government on Wednesday pledged to donate a further US$1 million to help Ukrainian refugees in Poland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The “Polish Cities in Ukraine, Taiwan Grant Fund” was announced by Representative to Poland Sharon Wu (吳尚年) during a ceremony in Warsaw with Bialystok Mayor Tadeusz Truskolaski and Poznan Mayor Jacek Jaskowia, the ministry said in a press release.
Truskolaski is chairman of the Union of Polish Metropolises, an organization representing Warsaw, Bialystok, Bydgoszcz, Gdansk, Katowice, Krakow, Lublin, Lodz, Poznan, Rzeszow, Szczecin and Wroclaw.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
According to a memorandum of understanding signed on Wednesday, the project is to support Polish local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGO) helping Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
The money would also be used to help prepare for their ultimate return to Ukraine once the country’s war with Russia has ended, it says.
Wu said in a speech that the Taiwan Grant Fund is an expression of the nation’s strong commitment and concern for Ukraine, and the latest milestone in cooperation and joint efforts to build partnerships with Polish local governments and NGOs.
“I look forward to further cooperation with the Union of Polish Metropolises through the fund’s platform, and cooperation in defending democracy, freedom and human rights,” she said.
Poland has taken in more than 3 million Ukrainian refugees since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of the country in February last year, Truskolaski said, adding that he appreciated Taiwan’s continued assistance.
Since February last year, the government has donated more than US$40 million, and 600 tonnes of necessities, including medical supplies, the ministry said.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three