Taiwan fall to Japan in U-18 final
Taiwan fall to Japan in U-18 finalBy Benjamin Bowser / Staff writerTaiwan’s nearly unbeaten run in the U-18 Baseball World Cup yesterday ended in defeat, as they lost 2-1 to world No. Taiwan were again runners-up in the World Baseball Softball Confederation tournament, which they lost last year to the US in Florida. Taiwan players walk off the field after losing 2-1 to Japan at the U-18 Baseball World Cup final in Taipei last night. Japan players celebrate after beating Taiwan 2-1 in the U-18 Baseball World Cup final in Taipei last night. After Lin Wei-en (林維恩) took over for Sun in the top of the fifth inning, Taiwan held Japan off for two more innings, with Lin striking out back-to-back batters in the sixth.
Source:Taipei Times
September 10, 2023 16:50 UTC
Rare quake in Morocco kills more than 1,000
Rare quake in Morocco kills more than 1,000HOMES DESTROYED: The country’s buildings were not constructed to withstand the magnitude 6.8 quake, the biggest in Morocco in 120 years, an expert saidAP, MARRAKESH, MoroccoA rare, powerful earthquake late on Friday struck Morocco, killing more than 1,000 people and damaging buildings from villages in the Atlas Mountains to the historic city of Marrakesh. Members of Taiwan’s search-and-rescue team, including four rescue dogs, stand in formation yesterday in Taipei. State television showed people clustered in the streets of Marrakesh, gathered outside buildings that might still be unstable. A man looks on as people walk over rubble in the earthquake-damaged old city of Marrakesh yesterday. In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that no Taiwanese were harmed or otherwise affected by the quake to its knowledge.
Source:Taipei Times
September 10, 2023 09:18 UTC
Taoyuan airport aims to beat expectations
Taoyuan airport aims to beat expectationsStaff Writer, with CNATaiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the nation’s main international gateway, could record 30 million passenger trips this year, surpassing a previous forecast of 28 million amid a recovery of the global aviation market, the airport’s operator said on Friday. This year’s estimated passenger volume would be 66.6 percent of the volume recorded in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, Taoyuan International Airport Corp senior vice president Lee Chun-te (李俊德) said. The airport recorded 21.88 million passenger trips in the first eight months of this year, which were 8.92 million outbound journeys, 8.83 million inbound journeys, 4.05 million transfers and 64,000 transits, Lee told a news conference. People walk through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on April 17. Boarding numbers should improve as Taiwan reopened its borders to some Chinese tourists entering from a third location on Sept. 1.
Source:Taipei Times
September 10, 2023 04:52 UTC
China’s new map unleashes fury
China’s new map unleashes furyBy Manik MehtaThere was already considerable pent-up resentment among several Asian countries about China’s ambitions for world domination, but its recently released “standard map” showing sovereign territories of several countries as part of it has unleashed outrage and suspicion. China’s distortion has also upset other neighbors, particularly those claiming oil and mineral-rich islands in the South China Sea. China’s “nine-dash line,” which covers the disputed territories, has now become a “10-dash line” with Taiwan included. China’s claims, based on “historical facts,” do not have any validity before international bodies; the Permanaent Court of Arbitration in The Hague rejected China’s claims in the case of the South China Sea islands claimed by the Philippines. China’s leadership should realize that China could become isolated, with many countries becoming fearful and distrustful of it.
Source:Taipei Times
September 09, 2023 17:29 UTC
France start World Cup in style
France start World Cup in styleNZ FIRST: The win by France inflicted on the All Blacks their first-ever loss in a World Cup pool match and captain Antoine Dupont said his team were just getting goingAFP, PARISFrance on Friday made an impressive start to their attempt to win a first Rugby World Cup as the host nation beat New Zealand 27-13 in a hot and humid tournament opener. A replica of the Eiffel Tower is pictured during the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Friday. “It was the culmination of our work before the tournament.”For the All Blacks, it was the first time they had lost a World Cup pool match. France captain Antoine Dupont reacts after their Pool A match against New Zealand at the Rugby World Cup at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Friday. About 2.5 million rugby fans are expected to attend World Cup fixtures across nine venues in France, including 600,000 from abroad.
Source:Taipei Times
September 09, 2023 17:28 UTC
Taiwan taking steps to curb illegal fishing
Taiwan taking steps to curb illegal fishingBy Yang Yuan-ting and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan was for the second time listed on the US’ biennial report on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, but the report also acknowledged the steps it has taken to remedy the situation, the Fisheries Agency said yesterday. Illegal fishing poses a threat to “ocean ecosystems and sustainable fisheries critical to global food and economic security, putting law-abiding fishermen and seafood producers in the United States and abroad at a disadvantage,” the report said. Photo: CNAHowever, Taiwan was certified to have taken actions to tackle the illegal fishing activities identified in the 2021 report, the NOAA added. However, since then, Taiwan has taken action to combat illegal fishing by investigating the vessels implicated in the previous report, amending fishing guidelines to reduce the harm caused by bycatch and sharing information on the nation’s progress in these matters with the US, it said. These efforts led to the NOAA’s positive determination that Taiwan was remedying IUU fishing activities carried out by its fishing boats, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 09, 2023 03:38 UTC
India studies response to potential Taiwan invasion
Photo: BloombergThe study would assess various war scenarios and provide options for India in case a conflict breaks out, they said. India’s preparation for a potential war over Taiwan shows how its policy of “multi-alignment” would be tested in the event of a drastic deterioration of US-China ties. A more extreme scenario, they added, would assess the potential for India to get directly involved along their northern border, opening a new theater of war for China. India and China have mobilized thousands of troops, artillery guns, tanks and missiles closer to the unmarked border running about 3,500km. Even so, it has quietly sought better relations with Taiwan: Three former Indian military chiefs who stepped down in the past year all visited Taiwan last month.
Source:Taipei Times
September 08, 2023 17:49 UTC
Ko’s house woes: a mother’s meddling
Ko’s house woes: a mother’s meddlingBy Sophia Lee 李欣芬Chinese-lanuage media recently reported that Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) four-story house in Hsinchu County has an illegal rooftop construction. During the interview, Ko’s mother, Ho Jui-ying (何瑞英), wailed into the microphone that “knives are out for me because my son is running for president,” and shed many tears in front of the camera. Four years ago, Ko’s parents went to the Central Election Commission office in Taipei to help Ko register as a presidential candidate. Before the Taichung second electoral district by-election in January last year, Ko’s parents happened to “run into” former lawmaker Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恆). With so many “coincidences,” it is unsurprising why some people are accusing Ho of “meddling in politics” on behalf of Ko.
Source:Taipei Times
September 08, 2023 17:48 UTC
Think holistically on caregivers
Think holistically on caregiversBy Cheng Ya-wen, Yeh Ming-jui 鄭雅文、葉明叡The Ministry of Labor in June significantly increased quotas for migrant workers in four employment sectors, namely manufacturing, construction, agriculture and institutional care. One stance that the KMT and DPP have in common is that of bringing in larger numbers of cheap and useful foreign migrant workers. These foreign caregivers are paid less than the going rate for Taiwanese long-term caregivers and are subject to labor conditions that Taiwanese workers would find unacceptable. When it comes to elections, migrant workers have no right to vote and are not in a position to speak out. However, a society that ignores migrant workers’ rights cannot be a truly equal one.
Source:Taipei Times
September 08, 2023 03:41 UTC
No reasons to oppose euthanasia, surrogacy, Ko says
No reasons to oppose euthanasia, surrogacy, Ko saysStaff writer, with CNATaiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said he would seek to “gauge public opinion” on assisted suicide and surrogacy, despite “personally” supporting legalization. Chen Chao-tzu (陳昭姿), a former head of the pro-independence Taiwan Society and long-time advocate of surrogacy, told the news conference she had been pushing for the legislation of surrogacy since 1996. Chen asked why the government encourages couples to have children amid the country’s low birthrate, but has ignored couples who would do anything to have their own children through surrogacy. In 2004, Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), then-health minister, held the first-ever “civic conference” in Taiwan to discuss surrogacy and arrived at the consensus to “not prohibit surrogacy, but only permit it with conditions,” Chen Chao-tzu said. Chen Chao-tzu told Ko that she would support Ko in the presidential election as long as Ko would include legalizing surrogacy as a component of his healthcare platform.
Source:Taipei Times
September 07, 2023 21:39 UTC
EDITORIAL: When ‘white’ is the new black
EDITORIAL: When ‘white’ is the new blackTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) seems to be in deep water lately. TPP executives in Tainan last weekend endorsed the candidacy of Lee Chuan-chiao (李全教), a former KMT Tainan City Council speaker who has a reputation of being associated with “black gold,” bribery, influence peddling and illegal gangster activities. Other TPP office heads in southern Taiwan were also accused of involvement in usury, abusive debt collection practices, pimping and prostitution. If left unaddressed, would the TPP not end up becoming a potential backdoor for these people to further their gangster or pro-unification activities under a legitimate cause? For these people, the TPP’s affiliation with alleged criminals would be a step too close to “gray” or “black.”
Source:Taipei Times
September 07, 2023 17:26 UTC
Six indicted on drug charges following raid
Six indicted on drug charges following raidStaff writer, with CNASix people in Kaohsiung are to be indicted under suspicion of drug-related offenses after a raid on a property in the city where narcotics were being produced, the city’s police department said Thursday. Narcotics and related items seized by police in a raid are seen at a residence in Kaohsiung's Fengshan District in an undated photograph. During the raid, police also found equipment used for processing narcotics, it said. Police said the entrance to the townhouse was hidden in a bid to delay forced entry. Six people, including one lead suspect surnamed Chiang (蔣), are to be indicted in the case, which is to be handled by Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office, it said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 07, 2023 16:52 UTC
Ko slammed for allegedly linking up with criminals
Online influencer Liu Yu poses in an undated photograph. Lee served a nine-month prison term and was deprived of his civil rights for three years. Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱), the Taiwan Statebuilding Party’s Taipei chapter director, lashed out at Ko in a post yesterday. So we see the TPP is attracting members of organized crime and people advocating for Beijing ruling Taiwan,” Wu said. Saint Wenshan is Hongmen’s largest network in Taiwan and it promotes the concept of a Chinese “motherland,” and denies what it calls Taiwan’s “separatist movement,” Wu said.
Source:Taipei Times
September 06, 2023 16:45 UTC
Plane or train? How Kim Jong-un will travel to Russia
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in April 2019 waves from his train as he leaves Khasan train station in Primorye region, Russia. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, in April 2019 toasts with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Vladivostok, Russia. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, with Russian delegation led by its Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in July visits an arms exhibition in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea’s state media said that Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack during a train trip in 2011. It’s not immediately clear whether Kim Jong-un would choose to travel to Russia on a train again when he seems equally comfortable with flying.
Source:Taipei Times
September 06, 2023 16:44 UTC
The Liberty Times Editorial: Hou needs to remember who he is
Hou was easily elected mayor of New Taipei City in the local government elections in 2018 and last year. However, some of those who should have lined up in support of Hou have failed to do so. Gou initially promised to support Hou, but then had second thoughts, whereupon he launched a quasi-candidacy that broke the KMT’s game rules. The KMT and Hou do not have enough sticks and carrots to get these people back in line, so the situation is becoming irretrievable. Hou has not resigned or even taken leave of absence from his post as mayor to pursue his presidential campaign, so is Hou the presidential nominee not negating the standpoints of Hou the mayor?
Source:Taipei Times
September 06, 2023 03:44 UTC