Author: Phillip Charlier

Military drone crash lands in Taitung City park

crashed Teng Yun unmanned combat aerial vehicle
Military Affairs 
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A military unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) crash landed in Taitung Forest Park this evening, and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) says the cause of the crash was an error in the flight control system. The UCAV took off from the Chih-hang Air Force Base this afternoon on a test flight, and landed in a forested section of Taitung Forest Park at 6:33 pm, according to reports. There were no casualties, but contact with trees caused

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Texas power outage hits semiconductor industry: Taiwan’s UMC stock up 1.04%

United Microelectronics Corp.
Business and Economy 
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United Microelectronics Corp (UMC: TWSE 2303) stock rose 1.04% today after power shortages in Texas led to a shutdown in semiconductor manufacturing plants in Austin. The Texas shutdowns will exacerbate the global shortage in semiconductors, the Financial Times reported. Austin’s local electricity supplier Austin Energy told manufacturers to reduce or completely halt operations after a winter storm swept through the state, bringing record low temperatures, snow, and rolling blackouts that left millions of Texans without power. Samsung electronics halted operations

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Japan to strengthen defense logistics in southwest islands as territorial tensions rise

Japan amphibious rapid deployment Brigade and US Marines
Military Affairs 
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Japan plans to add three transport ships to support troops deployed on remote southwestern islands in response to increasing incursions by the China Coast Guard, and a new law passed in China authorizing the coast guard to use lethal force against foreign ships. Voice of America (VOA) Chinese language service reported that Japan’s government will equip the Ground Self-Defense Force (GDSF) with three ships for logistics support. It is the first time the GDSF has been provided with its own

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Chinese professor: There were no ancient western civilizations; just modern fakes made to demean China

Jean-Baptiste Auguste Leloir painting Homère, 1841
International 
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A Chinese professor claims that the Egyptian pyramids, the Parthenon, and other remnants of ancient civilizations in the West, were all faked by Western scholars in order to fabricate an ancient history, and diminish the glory of China. Hong Kong News outlet Hong Kong 01 is just one of many Chinese language media who reported on the farcical claims after Professor Huang Heqing broadcast one of his lectures live to the internet recently. While ultranationalist conspiracy theories are not rare

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New lake formed by landslide in Taitung County, but Safety concerns about possible dam burst

barrier lake formed by landslide dam in Taitung County, Taiwan
Environment 
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The Taitung Forest District Management Office is monitoring a barrier lake formed after a landslide blocked a section of the upper reaches of the Danan River in Taitung county, and is warning residents and visitors to stay out of the riverbed below the newly-formed natural dam. Residents of Dongxing Village, Beinan Township, Taitung County, alerted authorities after water in the Danan Stream had a sudden significant decrease in water flow on February 5. A subsequent investigation revealed that a landslide

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Two US Aircraft Carrier Strike groups operating in the South China Sea

Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 fly over the Theodore Roosevelt and Nimitz Carrier Strike Groups in the South China Sea, Feb. 9. (U.S. Navy/MCSN Deirdre Marsac)
Military Affairs 
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Two US carrier strike groups are conducting joint operations in the South China Sea today, Tuesday, February 9, the US Navy announced. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group and the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group are conducting “coordinated operations in a highly trafficked area to demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s ability to operate in challenging environments,”  USS Theodore Roosevelt Public Affairs reported. “Training with Carrier Strike Group 11 in the South China Sea is a tremendously valuable opportunity,” said Rear Adm. Doug

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Taiwan stocks, company revenues reach record highs: investors hope for bullish Year of the Ox

President Tsai Ing-wen cuts a cake at the Taiwan Stock Exchange
Business and Economy 
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The Taiwan Stock Exchange is closed for the Lunar New Year holidays after finishing the Year of the Rat at a record high of 15,802 points, and record company revenues are boosting investor confidence for a bullish Year of the Ox. The TWSE closed Friday, February 5, 3,683.69 points (30.4%) up from the close of trading the previous year – the Year of the Pig. As company revenue reports flood in, investors are seeing record sales, revenues, and profits, on

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UMC announces net sales for January up slightly from December

United Microelectronics Corp.
Business and Economy 
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Semiconductor manufacturer UMC (NYSE: UMC; TWSE: 2303) released its January sales performance today, February 8, showing a slight rise from December and a 10.2% rise year-on-year. Foundry production capacity has been tight and prices have been rising as suppliers struggle to keep up with demand, especially in the 8-inch and 12-inch wafer market. January’s consolidated revenue was reported at NT$15.529 billion, up 10.2% from January 2020, and 1.5% from December. UMC’s annual consolidated revenue in 2020 was NT$176 billion, a

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Pokemon Go Grandpa the most serious victim of earthquake alert glitch

chen sanyuan, Pokemon Go Grandpa and his array of bicycle mounted phones
Society 
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A man who operates up to 72 phones at a time while playing Pokemon Go was the the most seriously affected victim of a glitch in Taiwan’s earthquake alert system, which caused 14 warnings to be sent in response to an earthquake at 1:36 am this morning, February 7. People were awakened by the alarming audio warning only to find the warnings kept coming after the the 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck 85 kilometers off the coast of Yilan County, on

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Man critically injured after woman falls from 11th floor

site of fall from building that left one dead and one critically injured
Society 
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A man remains in a critical condition today after a woman fell from her 11th floor residence and landed on him as he was walking on the sidewalk with his wife and child in Shulin District, New Taipei City, yesterday evening, February 5. According to the police investigation, a 66-year-old woman fell from her apartment on the 11th floor of a building in Taiyuan Street at around 8:00 pm. A 45-year-old man named Wu was passing by at the time,

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Monkey appears to be hard at work at Sun Yat-sen University

Formosan macaque at university desk
Animals 
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A picture of a Formosan macaque in an office at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung City has gone viral on social media, as it appears that the monkey is working diligently, and highly focused on the task at hand. “Currently, universities are on vacation, but look who’s at work in the communication office at Sun Yat-sen University,” Chang Morgan posted on Facebook, Wednesday, February 3. Lin Meiyin, secretary-general of the Taiwan Macaque Coexistence Promotion Association said that Sun Yat-sen

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