Bank SinoPac board OKs King’s Town Bank mergerBloombergThe board of Bank SinoPac Co (永豐銀行) approved a merger with King’s Town Bank Co (京城銀行), according to an exchange document filed on Friday from the lenders’ parent financial holding company. A cyclist rides past a Bank SinoPac branch in Taipei’s Wenshan District on June 19, 2017. Photo: CNAThe deal aims to integrate the banks’ branch networks and customer bases, leveraging King’s Town Bank’s strengths in corporate banking and financial market businesses, the filing said. SinoPac Financial in 2024 approved a share-swap deal to buy out King’s Town Bank as part of the group’s plan to expand asset scale and market share. It completed the acquisition of King’s Town Bank on Oct. 1 last year.

The report cited similar incidents, including the removal of songs by Taiwanese singer Lin Sheng-hsiang (林生祥) from online platforms in China and restrictions on search terms related to Uyghur folk songs. Some Chinese internet users speculated that Lin was blacklisted for composing music for a Taiwanese documentary Eye of Democracy (民主之眼). Such cases could indicate that the CCP is extending censorship beyond political commentary to include interdiction of how cultural content is used and interpreted, the report said. However, in a concert held by Leong in China’s Nanjing yesterday she performed a series of hit songs including Unfortunately Not YouHolding a concert in China requires all songs to be pre-approved, and only after passing review can they be performed. The fact that the song was performed on stage effectively puts an end to speculation that the song is banned.

Special defense budget could help local industryCONSOLIDATED PRODUCTION: Local production of ordnance could make money and aid security in peace time and help refill rapidly depleted arsenals in wartimeBy Fang Wei-li / Staff reporterThe US supports a comprehensive special defense budget because it focuses on two core objectives — building a “non-red supply chain” and building redundancy for “logistics and replenishment,” a defense analyst said yesterday. Deliberations over the special defense budget hit a stalemate last week as the opposition parties insisted on removing the line items related to “consignment production” and “commercial procurement,” preventing a cross-party consensus from being reached. Second, it encourages US investment in Taiwan, driving profits for the local defense industry and expanding its market scale, he said. The Ministry of National Defense announced plans to build 14 new ordnance production lines to establish local production capacity in Taiwan, he said. Since US price quotes are time-sensitive, any delays would force the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to go through the US Department of Defense and have suppliers and contractors re-estimate prices for the next 90 days, he said.

Taipei City to invest NT$2bn in Zhoumei school renovationsBy Kan Meng-lin and Sam Garcia / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Taipei City Government is investing NT$2 billion (US$62.74 million) to renovate the Zhoumei Elementary School in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park, the city government said during the inauguration of the school’s prepatory office on Saturday. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, fifth left, poses with other people at the inauguration of Zhoumei Elementary School’s preparatory office in Taipei on Saturday. Taipei is not only planning to rebuild the Zhoumei Elementary School, but also establish a Zhoumei Junior High School and set up a local education alliance with the Wenlin Elementary School, Mingde Junior High School and Zhong Zheng Senior High School, Chiang said. The city plans to invest more than NT$2 billion to complete the Zhoumei Elementary School campus by 2031, the Department of Education said. The preliminary plan calls for 12 standard classes, two overseas talent classes, two sports classes, two special education classes and five kindergarten classes, the department said.

Ko claims trial unfair following 17-year sentenceBy Esme Yeh / Staff reporterTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) supporters protested in Taipei against former chairman Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) conviction for corruption, saying that the judiciary is no longer about fairness and justice, but has become a tool for those in power. Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) former chairman Ko Wen-je, center right, addresses the crowd as TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang, center left, looks on during a party rally in Taipei yesterday protesting Ko’s corruption conviction. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesFormer TPP legislator Chang Chi-kai said the ruling is unreasonable because the payoff was disproportionate with the severity of the sentence. Ko said it was not an aboveboard trial, questioning the reasoning behind the verdict and saying it could erode public trust in Taiwan’s judiciary. TPP said that 80,000 people participated in the rally, and the number of online viewers exceeded 100,000 during the event.

Taipei Floral Picnic to feature exclusive ‘Pokemon Go’ eventANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops areBy Sun Wei-jung and Fion Khan

Taiwan’s new ambassador arrives in BelizeStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s new ambassador to Belize, Amino Chi (紀欽耀), has arrived in the Central American country to take up his post, the Republic of China (Taiwan) embassy announced yesterday. Chi, who most recently served as director-general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, arrived in Belize on Thursday night. Taiwan’s new ambassador Amino Chi is pictured in an undated photograph. Chi succeeds his predecessor, Lily Hsu (徐儷文), who concluded her three-year tenure in Belize and returned to Taipei earlier this month. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s representative office to the European Union and Belgium also bid farewell to its outgoing deputy head of mission, Jason Ma (馬博元), yesterday.

Cancer spending hit NT$156.7bn: NHIAUPGRADES: The NHIA touted the new functions of the My Health Bank app, such as AI-assisted assessments, that it said would help people better manage their healthBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporter, with CNANational Health Insurance (NHI) spending on cancer treatments last year rose to a record NT$156.7 billion (US$4.92 billion), up NT$26.5 billion from 2020, with an average annual growth rate of about 5 percent, NHI data showed. The number of patients seeking cancer treatment last year increased to 970,104, rising by an average of 5 percent annually over the past five years, National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) data showed. Breast cancer accounted for the largest number of cases at 198,878, followed by colorectal and anal cancers (120,624); lung, trachea and bronchus cancers (111,620); and prostate cancer (79,696), the data showed. Photo: CNAFor the first time in a decade, the cost of pancreatic cancer treatment was among the top 10, the data showed. The NHIA would continue to monitor treatment quality and outcomes through digital management systems, with the goal of reducing cancer mortality and improving overall public health, she added.

Salon owner fined for burn that led to woman’s suicideBy Wang Chun-chung and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe owner of a hair salon in Tainan has been ordered to pay NT$480,000 (US$15,056) to the parents of a woman who committed suicide after receiving facial burns during a treatment at the salon in 2022. The mental health of the woman, who had been diagnosed with depression, worsened after the incident, the Tainan District Court ruling said. The woman visited the beauty salon on the afternoon of Oct. 13, 2022, during which the owner performed a facial massage treatment on her, court documents showed. The woman’s parents said that the salon owner misled their daughter about the severity of the injury, and that their daughter had to undergo six months of burn treatment and 15 cosmetic procedures to remove the burn scars, the documents showed. The woman’s parents initially sought more than NT$1.7 million in damages, including compensation for emotional distress, medical expenses and loss of income due to their daughter’s inability to work.

CWA warns of unstable weather, quake aftershocksStaff writer, with CNAThe weather in Taiwan is expected to become unstable as a frontal weather system approaches ahead of the Tomb Sweeping Festival from Friday to Monday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. In other news, the CWA said a magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck Pingtung County at 11:12am yesterday. The epicenter was in Pingtung’s Laiyi Township (來義), about 29.3km south-southeast of the Pingtung County Government building, at a depth of 23.3km, it said. The earthquake’s intensity was highest in Pingtung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Kaohsiung, Taitung County, Tainan and Chiayi County, the CWA said.

Remain vigilant about fake Line sites, ministry saysStaff writer, with CNAThe Ministry of Digital Affairs’ Administration for Cyber Security has released a list of nine Web sites that maliciously pose as official Line pages, warning of possible hacking and data breaches when visiting and downloading software from the sites. There were several cases where people downloaded the “Line” app from such sites and had their data stolen, it said. The administration said the malicious Web sites posing as Line Web sites are: linekr.com, line-china.com, line-tw.com, line-zhcn.com, line-ios.com, linecl.com, linerm.com, lineoe.com, and line- tww.com. In most cases, people were directed to fake Line Web sites when attempting to download the desktop version of the app, it said. It urged the public to report any fake sites to the ministry’s scam-Web sites reporting page or the National Police Agency’s 165 scam hotline.

A post on the film “Sunshine Women’s Choir” Sina Weibo account is pictured in an undated photograph. She also said she has asked the ministry to consider whether there should be clear regulations governing government-subsidized productions using political rhetoric that belittles Taiwan in overseas promotion. In response, the Ministry of Culture said yesterday that its Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development has asked the film’s production team to clarify the situation as soon as possible. The ministry added that it would soon discuss relevant response mechanisms with industry representatives and agencies. This places Taiwanese productions under double pressure — either risking failure to enter the Chinese market or hurting the feelings of Taiwanese people, it said.

Bus driver suspected of negligence resulting in injuryIMPROVED MEASURES: San Chung Bus Co said it would enforce stricter turning protocols and use AI to ensure drivers are double-checking surroundings before turningStaff writer, with CNAThe driver of a bus who on Thursday last week ran over a 20-year-old student at Chang Gung University in Taoyuan would be referred to prosecutors on suspicion of negligent injury, police said yesterday. The incident occurred at about 10:25pm, when a San Chung Bus Co vehicle making a left turn on a campus road struck the student, surnamed Wang (王), as he stepped on a crosswalk, police said. Police and rescuers work at the site of a traffic accident at Chang Gung University in Taoyuan on Thursday. San Chung Bus Co apologized and said it would take full responsibility for any financial restitution. Bus company general manager Lee Chien-wen (李建文) said he visited Wang on the same night of the incident, apologizing to his family and pledging to cover all related costs.

Central bank announces banknote redesign plansBy Chen Mei-ying and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerConsidering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The central bank would continue to print NT$200 and NT$2,000 notes, the report said, citing advantages in cost efficiency and environmental impact. Before the new notes enter circulation, the bank would coordinate upgrades and adjustments to ATM systems, a process expected to take up to six months, it added. The current edition of bank notes, the fifth set to be printed, began circulation in July 2000.

Plastics suppliers asked to prioritize medical sectorDISRUPTION: Most of the medical devices can be made domestically, so as long as the supply of raw materials is maintained, people do not have to worry, an official said Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) yesterday said that the ministry is working with the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to ask local plastic material suppliers to prioritize healthcare-related manufacturers to avoid a shortage. The minister was responding to reporters’ questions about concerns regarding the war in the Middle East having disrupted petrochemical supplies and driving up plastic packaging costs at the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee in Taipei yesterday. Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital deputy superintendent Hung Tzu-jen (洪子仁), who is also director of Taiwan College of Healthcare Executives, on Sunday said that he has heardBy Lee I-chia