ECONOMY
Public salary raise mulled
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) has indicated that salaries for military personnel, civil servants and public school teachers would be “reasonably adjusted upwards” next year in the weekly Cabinet meeting, Executive Yuan spokesperson Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said yesterday. He did not say how much those salaries are expected to rise. Salary increases are possible due to Taiwan’s stable economic growth in recent years, Cho was quoted as saying. The economy is forecast to grow 3.94 percent this year. Cho was quoted as saying that the government must take the lead in driving economic growth and has instructed the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration (DGPA) to begin discussions on raising salaries. The premier also expressed hope that private enterprises would follow suit and increase wages for their employees, Chen said. The DGPA said that the past five salary adjustments for military personnel, civil servants and public school teachers were 3 percent in 2005, 2011 and 2018, and 4 percent in 2022 and this year.
DIPLOMACY
Marshall islands sign MOU
Taiwan and the Marshall Islands signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Wednesday to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of education and expand their diplomatic ties. The MOU was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Marshallese Minister of Education, Sports and Training Joe Bejang, at a ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei.
The goal of the MOU is to boost their ties by facilitating the training of people in the field of education, increasing exchanges and building capacity in that profession, facilitating the exchange of volunteer teachers and expanding cooperation on Austronesian studies, the ministry said. At the signing ceremony, Lin congratulated the Pacific ally on its successful hosting of theis years Micronesian Games. He also thanked Bejang for repeatedly voicing the Marshall Islands’ support for Taiwan’s bid to join world organizations. Bejang, who arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday with a delegation, is visiting for five days.
SPORTS
Team wins region tournament
Taiwan Little League team Guishan Elementary School won the Asia-Pacific regional tournament of the Little League World Series on Wednesday and would now represent the region at the Little League World Series final in the US in August. The team defeated South Korea in the final 3-0. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, members of Taoyuan’s Hsin Ming Junior High School defeated Japan 10-0 to win the Junior League Asia-Pacific regional tournament. During the Junior League game, the Taiwanese team scored eight runs in the first inning. They then hit two more runs in the second inning before closing out the six-innings game early after the fifth inning. The Little League and Junior League Asia-Pacific regional tournaments were held at Hwaseung Dream Park, in Hwaseong City, South Korea. With their wins, students from Guishan Elementary School will compete at the Little League World Series Complex in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 14, while members of Hsin Ming Junior High School will head to Heritage Park in Taylor, Michigan, on Aug. 4, where they will compete against other regional champions to vie for the top spot in their respective leagues’ world series.
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had
RSS