Taipei city councilor sentenced to more than seven yearsBy Kayleigh Madjar / Staff writer, with CNAThe Shilin District Court yesterday sentenced Taipei City Councilor Chen E-jun (陳怡君) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to seven years and 10 months in prison for embezzling assistant fees and accepting bribes. Chang Hui-lin (張惠霖), the head of Chen’s office, was also sentenced to five years and 10 months in prison. Taipei City Councilor Chen E-jun speaks at a council session in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei TimesThe two defendants in July last year pleaded guilty to charges that they improperly claimed NT$3.84 million (US$121,404) in subsidies since the city councilor took office in late 2018. Chen yesterday did not appear in court to hear the verdict.

MOHW looks to allow direct hire of foreign care helpers at hospitalsStaff writer, with CNAMinister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) is working on revising regulations to allow hospitals to directly hire foreign care workers who will help patients hospitalized for acute conditions with daily care needs and ease the workload of nursing staff. However, hospitals are facing a shortage of care workers, which is why the health ministry is considering introducing intermediate skilled foreign care workers. Previously, they could only be employed by long-term care institutions, chronic care wards and respiratory care units, and not general hospitals. The ministry has been communicating with nursing groups to address misunderstandings that foreign care workers will replace domestic nurses, he added. Shih stressed that the policy is intended to ease their workload, allowing them to focus on professional duties while daily care is handled by foreign care workers.

As land use at the Chiayi campus is already at capacity, the Phase 2 plan seeks to add approximately 89 hectares of land and introduce three more factories. “Chip packaging must remain rooted in Taiwan, and this is being facilitated by TSMC’s expansion in Chiayi,” she said. With both phases combined, total employment at the Chiayi campus could exceed 9,200 people, she said. The Phase 2 development plan would be complemented by the Chiayi High Speed Rail Station redevelopment plan, which is to cover about 360 hectares of land rezoned for commercial, retail and industrial development, he said. “Looking ahead, the county plans to fully review transport impacts, bicycle path planning and strategies to reduce air pollution in coordination with the science park’s development,” Liu said.

‘Up to Xi’ how to handle Taiwan, but Venezuela no precedent: TrumpUS President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in

Pay for migrant workers increased last year: surveyStaff writer, with CNAPay for migrant workers and caregivers increased last year, while language barriers remained a top challenge facing employers, the results of a survey released yesterday by the Ministry of Labor showed. Photo: Taipei TimesFor migrant workers employed by Taiwanese businesses, regular monthly pay averaged NT$29,800 in June last year, with overtime pay averaging NT$5,100, bringing total pay to NT$34,900, up 4.7 percent from NT$33,300 in June 2024, the survey showed. The report showed caregivers’ regular pay averaged NT$21,300 in June last year, with overtime pay averaging NT$2,800, for a total of about NT$24,200, up 1.8 percent from NT$23,800 a year earlier. Migrant caregivers averaged 10.1 hours per day in June last year, little changed from 10.3 hours in June 2024, the report showed. For migrant workers employed by businesses, total working hours averaged 196.5 hours in June last year, up nearly 10 percent from 179.1 hours a year earlier, as regular hours rose to 168.2 and overtime increased to 28.3 hours, the ministry said.

Education minister not afraid of China’s threatsBy Rachel Lin / Staff reporterMinister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) yesterday said he is an “elegant Taiwanese,” adding that he is not afraid of being labeled by China as a “diehard Taiwan independence advocate,” after Beijing targeted him last week. Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao poses for a photograph in Taipei yesterday. While some people’s ancestors came from China, they are ROC citizens, Cheng said. These distinctions should be clearly explained to children through historical and international perspectives, rather than being conflated,” he said. “What we aim for is a democratic and law-governed society, and education should help children develop a clear, stable and noncontradictory understanding.”

Jay Chou to make Australian Open debut in ‘1 Point Slam’Staff writer, with CNATaiwanese singer Jay Chou (周杰倫) is set to grace the courts of the Australian Open for the first time as a competitor in the high-stakes 1 Point Slam. A poster featuring Taiwanese singer Jay Chou is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Screengrab from the Australian Open’s InstagramChou shared the announcement on his own Instagram story, saying: “I’m going to compete in the Australian Open. I will donate it all if I win the championship and the AUD$1 million (US$670,970) prize money.”“Remember to watch the Australian Open on Jan. 14. Inaugurated by Tennis Australia in 2025, the 1 Point Slam is a cornerstone of the Grand Slam’s “Opening Week” entertainment festival.

EVA Airways to launch new flights to US capitalBy Tsai Yun-jun and Shelley Shan / Staff Reporters, with CNAEVA Airways (長榮航空) yesterday announced that it plans to launch a new flight service to Washington in July, making it the first Taiwanese carrier to provide direct flights to the US capital. The airline plans to provide four flights to Washington in the initial stage using Boeing 787-9s, EVA Airways president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) told reporters in Taipei. EVA Airways Corp aircraft are pictured at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) in an undated photograph. Once flights to Washington are launched, the airline would have passenger services to 10 destinations in North America, with 98 weekly flights to the region, he said. Services to Incheon, South Korea, would be expanded from 14 to 18 weekly flights through April 12.

Signals detected from missing jet’s black boxStaff writer, with CNAThe military has been detecting intermittent signals from the flight data recorder of an F-16V jet that disappeared last week, but the search teams have not yet pinned down the location of the recorder, also known as the black box, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday. The air force subsequently set up an emergency response center, and launched a search-and-rescue operation, but has not yet been able to find Hsin or the aircraft. The military has detected some intermittent signals believed to be from the jet’s black box, but has not yet pinned down the location, he added. Ground crews were busy inspecting and preparing F-16V jets for their return to flight operations. This was followed by a total of four batches, with 12 F-16V aircraft conducting return-to-flight test missions.

‘Up to Xi’ how to handle Taiwan, but Venezuela no precedent: TrumpUS President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in

Tainan captured more than 26,000 iguanas last yearBy Tsai Wen-chu / Staff reporterMore than 26,000 green iguanas were captured in Tainan last year, with more than 300 being caught on some days, the city’s Agriculture Bureau said. Tainan City Councilor Tseng Pei-ya (曾培雅) said she received reports from residents about green iguanas in Barclay Memorial Park in East District (東區). A green iguana is pictured in Tainan in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of Hsieh Chi-liangAlthough green iguanas, native to Central and South America, typically do not attack humans, they damage crops and upset the local ecology. Sexually mature male green iguanas can develop yellow or orange coloration, he said.

Wind farms create ‘marine ranches’: research teamBy Yu Chao-fu, Rachel Lin and Esme Yeh / Staff reporters, with staff writerThe underwater structures of offshore wind farms along the Taiwan Strait have become “marine ranches,” creating highly diversified reef ecosystems, a research team from National Taiwan Ocean University’s Institute of Marine Biology found. Although offshore wind power construction used to be considered harmful to marine ecosystems, the team yesterday said it found that the submerged parts of wind turbines attract fish dwelling in different ocean layers. Young snappers and pennant coralfish swim around an offshore wind power structure in an undated photograph. Photo: CNAAlthough offshore wind farms were not built for conservation, they maintain biodiversity, the research team said, adding that more comprehensive fishery management rules should be established to promote offshore wind farms’ role in energy transition and marine conservation. The research team developed a small, energy-efficient and highly stable muon sensor system that is suitable for extended use in the field, he said.

KMT’s budget review plan is unconstitutional: DPP‘DESPOT EMPERORS’: The KMT is treating budget items as a ‘self-serve cafeteria,’ approving only some items as it pleases, Chung Chia-pin saidBy Lin Che-yuan and Jason Pan / Staff reportersThe Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) move to divide this year’s fiscal budget into multiple packages for review and block the military spending items is unconstitutional, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators said yesterday. The KMT plans to approve funds earmarked for the T-Pass frequent rider program, flood management-related construction projects, newborn assistance programs and other plans affecting people’s daily lives, while stalling large portions of the budget, DPP caucus chief executive Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus chief executive Chung Chia-pin, right, speaks as DPP caucus secretary-general Chen Pei-yu holds a placard at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “They would only review the budget when people make noise, demanding the use of state funds to improve their livelihood.”“The KMT’s plan is unconstitutional. It also contravenes the Budget Act [預算法], which stipulates that the Cabinet compiles the year’s general fiscal budget and presents it to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation and review.

Future account plan could deplete resources: ministerLIMITATIONS: T aiwan in 2017 launched an education account program, and the legislature should discuss how to improve that policy, Shih Chung-liang saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe opposition parties’ suggestion of setting up a government-funded “Taiwan Future Account” for all children could deplete resources available for underprivileged groups, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on Dec. 25 announced their draft future account plan, which suggests that the government set up a universal special investment account for children aged 12 or younger that can only be claimed after they turn 18 years old. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang, left, listens to an official at a joint committee meeting at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. “However, every policy is a choice, and [government] resources are limited, so policies can have a crowding-out effect on each other,” he said. “Of course, we can discuss how to improve the [current] policy,” Shih said.

Lin was responding to questions about Taiwan’s partnership with allies in producing munitions at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. Given the intense demand for 155mm artillery shells in Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion, and in light of Taiwan’s own defensive needs, Taipei and Washington plan to jointly produce 155mm shells, said Lin, head of the bureau responsible for arms procurement and weapons development. 155mm artillery shells are pictured during the manufacturing process at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Feb. 16, 2023. Taiwan and its closest arms provider, the US, have been in talks to coproduce munitions and weapons systems for several years. “Appropriate coproduction or similar opportunities should focus on less technically complex capabilities for which Taiwan has existing workforce and production infrastructure,” he said during the meeting on Nov. 6.