ECONOMY
Taiwan 12th in gold reserves
Taiwan ranked 12th in global gold reserves in the first quarter of the year, according to a Forbes report, citing data from the World Gold Council (WGC). Taiwan had 423 tonnes of gold reserves, equivalent to about US$28 billion, Forbes reported on Friday last week. The US had the most gold reserves in the world, with almost as much as the combined total of the next three countries on the list, the magazine reported. According to the WGC data, the US had 8,133 tonnes of gold reserves, worth about US$579 billion. It was followed by Germany with 3,352 tonnes (US$238 billion), Italy with 2,451 tonnes (US$174 billion) and France with 2,436 tonnes (US$173 billion). Rounding out the top 10 list were Russia, China, Switzerland, Japan, India and the Netherlands, the WGC data showed. Gold reserves are critical for the economic stability of a country, acting as a reliable store of value, particularly during financial uncertainties, the magazine said.
Photo: Bloomberg
SEISMICITY
Two quakes jolt Hualien
An earthquake, which measured 4.8 on the Richter scale, struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 9:27am yesterday, followed by a magnitude 4.4 earthquake a minute later, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the first earthquake was at sea, 21.2km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 5.4km, CWA data showed. The temblor’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, was highest in Hualien County, where it measured 4 on the nation’s 7-tier intensity scale. The second earthquake’s epicenter was also at sea, 21.2km south-southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 6.1km. Its intensity was highest in Hualien County, where it measured 4. No immediate damage or injuries were reported.
CRIME
Police investigate death
Yilan County police are investigating the case of an absconded Thai migrant worker who died and whose body was allegedly dumped at a dam last week by his employer, wife and two friends. Police said it launched an investigation after it was contacted on Tuesday by the Thailand Trade and Economic Office. Relatives of the man, who was in his 30s, contacted the office after being notified that he had died, police said. The relatives, who live in Thailand, provided information including the license plate number of the man’s boss. Police summoned the employer, surnamed Lin (林), who admitted the man died on Monday afternoon last week. According to police, Lin said he did not report the death because he had been employing the man, who had illegally overstayed his visa. Lin said he, along with the man’s wife and two Thai friends, disposed of the man’s body at a dam. The man’s wife said he had become ill recently and did not seek medical attention because of his undocumented status, police said. After the man’s death, the wife contacted Lin to ask for help and they decided to dispose of his body, it said. Based on Lin’s account, police were able to locate the man’s body, which did not have any signs of external injury. Police are waiting for an autopsy to determine cause of death. They have referred Lin, the man’s wife and two friends to Yilan prosecutors on suspicion of abandoning of a corpse. Lin would also face penalties for illegally employing a foreign worker, police 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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