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.
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
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
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