Help for the homeless in Keelung City as cold weather descends on Northern Taiwan

homeless people windbreaks and tent composite picture
Society 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Volunteers handed out sleeping bags, blankets, warm coats, and food, while also offering temporary shelter to homeless people around Keelung railway station, yesterday evening, as a continental cold front descended on northern Taiwan, combined with a northeasterly monsoonal airstream, causing temperatures to plunge into the low teens. In an underpass at Keelung Station, homeless people put up cardboard, styrofoam, and umbrellas as makeshift windbreaks, and one person even erected a tent in an attempt to shelter from the cold wind.

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Regional defense news: US sub re-homed to West Pacific, missile launch site development near Taiwan

composite image of naval and defense activity in northwest Pacific and South China Sea
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , , ,

In moves resembling a game of geostrategic chess, the US has forward-deployed a nuclear submarine to “the tip of the spear” in Guam, Japan’s development of a missile launch site on Ishigaki Island, near Taiwan, is advancing, China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier has sailed through the Miyaki Strait into the West Pacific, and a German naval vessel is in the South China Sea for the first time in 20 years. USS Jefferson City forward-deployed to new home base Guam The Los

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Navy takes delivery of two more rapid mine-laying ships, increasing asymmetric combat power

rapid mine-laying boat docking at Su'ao Harbor
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Taiwan’s ROC Navy officially took delivery of two rapid mine-laying ships at a ceremony yesterday, December 16, marking an upgrade in national defense research and development, and the improvement of naval mine-laying capability. The two vessels, FMLB-2 and FMLB-3 are the second and third of four rapid mine-laying ships to be built by domestic shipbuilder Lungteh Shipbuilding. The first of the tentatively-named “Minjiang” Class mine-laying ships was launched August 4, 2020. According to the Ministry of National Defense, the ships

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Inside job: Security guard arrested for part in ATM cash armed robbery

composite image showing suspect, site of robbery, and cash
Crime and Criminals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

One of two security guards who were held up at gunpoint while delivering cash in a convenience store in New Taipei City, Tuesday, has been arrested and charged as an accomplice in the robbery. The 19-year-old cash guard, named Tsai, was just a few weeks into a job with the security company, when he and a colleague were held up and robbed of NT$1.21 million at a convenience store in Wugu District. The two robbers took to a getaway car

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Paratrooper uninjured after entangling in ropes and landing on road

composite image showing paratroopers jumping and landing
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense today said that a paratrooper who landed bodily on a public road adjacent to a landing field after becoming entangled in his parachute cords, Monday, had not been injured in the incident. The official military statement said that the soldier was properly qualified, there was no problem with the standard operating procedures, and although landing on the asphalt road was “not ideal,” the soldier was not injured. Members of the public watching the aerial activities

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3 arrested 2 hours after armed ATM cash box heist

composite image of arrest and handguns confiscated
Crime and Criminals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Three men were arrested in New Taipei City last night, just two hours after holding up security guards carrying an ATM cash box in a convenience store in Wugu District. At around 5:00 pm, two men entered entered a High Life convenience store on Lingyun Road as two cash security guards were about to refill the Cathay United Bank Automatic Teller Machine. The men drew handguns, and ordered the guards to not move. The men made away with more than

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Beijing’s big bucks billboards display chilling effect on free speech in Australia

Billboard design for Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance campaign designed by Taiwan English News
International Politics 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Australian Senate candidate Drew Pavlou claims that Australian billboard advertising companies have refused to display his ad campaign out of fear of retaliation by the Chinese government, and that Beijing-funded billboard ads went up instead. Pavlou’s ad was designed to protest against the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics being held in a country with serious human rights issues, and depicted works by Chinese dissident artist Badiucao. Bishopp Outdoor Advertising had agreed to place the ad for $3,000. But yesterday, a representative

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Police find 1 of 3 missing river tracers: search for 2 continues

composite image of found man with police and map of area
Breaking News 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Taitung County police have found one man who was a member of a river tracing group reported missing yesterday, and will continue to search for the remaining two missing men, who they believe were washed away while attempting to wade across a stream. On Friday, December 10, the three men, named Hsu, Du, and Luo, began a three day hike and river tracing trip aiming to reach Lulu Hot Springs in a remote mountain area in Haiduan Township. On the

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Taiwan’s KYMCO teams up with Harley Davidson in new electric motorcycle company

Livewire motorcycle and company brands
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

American motorcycle company Harley Davidson will spin off its electric vehicle division, and form a new company with two partners, including Taiwanese motorcycle manufacturer KYMCO, the company announced today, December 13. LiveWire will be the first publicly traded electric motorcycle company in the USA, said Harley Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz. The new brand will build on Harley Davidson’s 118 year lineage with a mission to be the most desirable electric motorcycle brand in the world. LiveWire will also benefit from

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Police fire 9 shots in chase through streets of New Taipei City: 3 suspects arrested

police arrest suspect after car chase
Crime and Criminals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Police arrested three men after firing nine shots at a car during a chase in Banqiao District, New Taipei City, at around noon today, Monday, December 13. At 11:50 am, police attempted to stop a vehicle after receiving a report that a man in the back seat of the car was seen brandishing a gun at the intersection of Guoqing Road and Chongqing Road. Police body cam footage showed the car knocking over three police motorcycles in order to escape

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Zoo reassures the public after child’s shoes spotted in Tiger pen

children's shoes floating in pond as tiger prowls by
Animals 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A Hsinchu Zoo spokesperson reassured the public that no children had been eaten this weekend, after someone uploaded a picture of a pair of children’s shoes floating in a pond inside the tiger enclosure, December 11. A man named Peng uploaded the picture to a Hsinchu news group on Facebook yesterday, posing the question “Where’s the kid? I only see shoes next to the tiger.” A laughing emoticon showed the question was asked in jest. Hsinchu Zoo staff responded to

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