NATURE
Flying fox rescue a first
The recent rescue of a young Formosan flying fox, the first such case in Taiwan, represents a significant milestone in megabat conservation in the country, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said on Wednesday. The agency’s Hualien branch said that a two-week-old male flying fox — considered an endangered species in Taiwan, with a report saying there could be as few as 200 in the country — was reported by an environmental volunteer in downtown Hualien City on Saturday last week. The animal was transferred to a wildlife aid station, it said, adding that initially, the team took the pup back to where it was found so its mother had an opportunity to take it back. However, none of the adult flying foxes approached the pup, it said. The branch then sent the pup to the WildOne Wildlife Conservation Association. Any further arrangements would depend on the pup’s health, it said.
TECHNOLOGY
Tsai praises video games
Video game consoles are more than just entertainment and provide huge business opportunities for Taiwan given their expanding technological applications, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday. Speaking at the 27th GTI Asia Taipei Expo opening, Tsai said consoles have rapidly become an indicator of technological innovation, and owing to their diverse applications, the gaming console industry provides the nation with immense business opportunities. She said the industry’s total output reached NT$30 billion (US$921 million) last year. The GTI Asia Taipei Expo is being held in Hall 1 at the Taipei World Trade Center and runs until Monday.
CRIME
Babysitter indicted
The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday indicted a licensed babysitter for allegedly abusing a seven-month-old in her care. Footage taken in the residence from Feb. 19 to 21 showed 20 instances in which the babysitter, surnamed Yeh (葉), either pressed her feet against the baby’s face for more than 40 seconds, dragged and threw him on the floor or hit his head, prosecutors said. The issue came to light after the infant’s father found him drowsy and limp on Feb. 21. After initially being treated at a clinic, the baby developed a high fever and had seizures. The father took him to the intensive care unit of Mackay Memorial Hospital the next day. Doctors concluded that the baby had experienced severe physical trauma, resulting in intracranial and retinal hemorrhaging, as well as epileptic seizures. There was also evidence of brain atrophy, raising concerns about developmental delays, prosecutors said.
ART
NTNU exhibits Polaroid
An exhibition showcasing artworks created using Polaroid pictures, film and iconic instant cameras from the brand’s back catalog is being held at National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), the school’s art museum said on Thursday. The Polaroid Project: At the Intersection of Art and Technology is hailed by the NTNU Art Museum as the largest-ever exhibition of its kind in the nation. The show, featuring more than 300 artworks by 120 international artists, is a collaborative effort between the museum, the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography in the US and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Museum. The exhibition offers a comprehensive insight into a marketing campaign launched by Polaroid in the mid-20th century, featuring such well-known artists and photographers as Andy Warhol and Andre Kertesz, the museum said.
Also showcased are landmark Polaroid models such as the SX-70, the first folding single-lens reflex camera, and the Polaroid Big Shot camera made famous by Warhol. Visitors will also be able to learn about the company’s history from the chronicle of major events at Polaroid.
‘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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