Elon Musk reported to Taiwan prosecutors for promoting marijuana use

composite picture showing Elon Musk smoking pot and pro-cannabis advocates in Taiwan
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , , ,

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been reported to the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office on the accusation of seducing people to use drugs, putting prosecutors in the awkward position of being obliged to investigate the tech billionaire if prosecutors take recent statements of their Ministry of Justice seriously. The demand for prosecutors to investigate the well-known tech CEO was a response to a statement made by the Ministry of Justice earlier this month that teaching marijuana use on the Internet, “spreading

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Mortar blast at ammunition depot leaves 9 soldiers injured, two seriously

paramedic attends to injured soldiers at ammunition depot with live mortar rounds still scattered on the ground
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Nine soldiers were injured, two seriously, when a mortar round exploded while being handled at an army ammunition depot in northern Taiwan today, July 24. According to a press statement by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, a 120 mm mortar round exploded during an inspection by technical personnel at the Hsiang Feng army base in Keelung City at around 3:00 pm. Fire Department paramedics risked their own lives to attend to the two seriously injured soldiers, who lay beside several

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Tesla plows through floodwater in central Taiwan, leaving fossil-fuel cars in its wake

Tesla driving through flood water
Weather 
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Two cars broke down, but a Tesla was seen plowing past them in floodwater that surged over the hood of the electric vehicle, after instantaneous heavy rain flooded a highway near the Zhushan Interchange in Nantou County yesterday, July 23. Zhushan police said that drainage at the 227 kilometer mark on Provincial Highway 3 was insufficient to cope with the sudden heavy downpour from a storm that hit the area at around 4:00 pm. Two cars, including a Mercedes Benz

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Hundreds of empty containers create shipping hazard after ship sinks near Taiwan’s largest port

containers adrift after ship sinks
Marine and Fisheries 
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An estimated 600 shipping containers are adrift off Taiwan’s southern coast after a container ship sank near the Port of Kaohsiung yesterday, July 21. The Palau-registered ANGEL sank early Friday morning after the crew were evacuated from the ship as it began listing dangerously after a suspected breach of the hull Thursday. An estimated 500-600 of the more than 1,300 empty containers aboard the ship remained afloat after the vessel sank around 2.8 nautical miles from the south embankment of

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Container ship listing dangerously off the Port of Kaohsiung

Container ship ANGEL listing dangerously off the Port of Kaohsiung Taiwan
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The crew of a container ship abandoned the vessel and were rescued by the coast guard this morning after the ship began to take water and listed dangerously 2.8 nautical miles outside the Port of Kaohsiung. Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration (CGA) received reports that the 16,145-gross-ton Palauan-flagged vessel ANGEL was in distress at around 9:00 am. Nineteen crew abandoned ship and were picked up by coast guard patrol boats, including one injured. According to reports, 6 containers fell into

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Major global acrylics supplier ablaze in southern Taiwan

thick smoke is seen billowing from factory on fire
Fire 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A major global supplier of acrylic sheeting caught fire early this morning, and firefighters are still trying to bring the blaze under control at noon. According to reports, the Sumipex Techsheet Company factory in Nanzih Science and Technology Industrial Park caught fire after a suspected boiler explosion at around 7:38 am. The Kaohsiung City Fire Department dispatched 55 vehicles and 130 personnel to fight the fire. Thick smoke from the fire could be seen many kilometers away, and the Kaohsiung

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Longest-surviving kidney transplant patient in Taiwan has a 115-year-old kidney

medical personnel and patient celebrate 50 year transplant survivor
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A hospital in Hsinchu held a birthday party for an 81-year-old man to celebrate the 50th anniversary of him receiving a kidney transplant, and it was revealed that the kidney he carries is now 115 years old. National Taiwan University Hospital Hsinchu Branch held a press conference as part of the celebration to share the story of Taiwan’s longest-surviving kidney transplant recipient, Chen Ming-hsiung and the pioneering surgical team who performed some of the first organ transplants in Taiwan. Tsai

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US State Department updates Taiwan Travel Advisory: removes the word “country”

travel advisory for Taiwan showing edits
International Relations 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments

The US State Department Bureau of Consular Affairs updated its Travel Advisory for Taiwan, yesterday, Tuesday, July 11, maintaining the original level one “exercise normal precautions,” but removing two references to “country,” replacing it with “Taiwan.” Previous to the July 11 edit, the advisory read: “Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Taiwan,” and “Review the Country Security Report for Taiwan.” These sentences have been changed to “Read the Taiwan International Travel Information for additional information

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Woman rescued by passersby after suspected random knife attack in Taitung City

men surround armed man who attacked woman with knife
Violent Crimes 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment ,

A woman is recovering in hospital after a man followed her out of a convenience store and attacked her with a knife before being subdued by passersby in Taitung City yesterday, Sunday, July 9. According to reports, a 26-year-old woman, named Jiang, walked out of a convenience store on Zhongxing Road, Section 2 at around 12:15 pm. Surveillance footage of the incident showed that the suspect, a 50-year-old man, named Chang, followed Jiang across a zebra crossing before pouncing on

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10-year-old suffers 2nd-degree burns after smart watch explodes on his arm

injured arm
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A ten-year-old boy in New Taipei City is likely to require skin graft surgery after a smart watch he was wearing exploded and caught fire, Friday, June 30. According to reports, the boy was on his way to a cram school in Tucheng District Friday afternoon when his watch suddenly exploded and instantly ignited. A street vendor immediately came to the boy’s assistance and applied ointment to the resulting wound, and the boy continued to the cram school. Once he

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South African national fined for riding YouBike on freeway

woman on YouBike on National Highway 1 in New Taipei City
Odd News 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

A South African national was fined for riding a bicycle on National Highway 1 in New Taipei City last week, after she was allegedly guided onto the freeway by her smartphone. Police received reports of a woman seen riding a bicycle on the freeway headed northbound between Linkou and Wugu on Tuesday, June 27, at around 7:00 pm, A 24-year-old South African resident was stopped by police around 10 minutes later. The police officers took the errant cyclist back to

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