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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by