Taiwan advances to U-18 World Cup Super Round after close call

2023-09-05

Taiwan has reached the Super Round of the U-18 Baseball World Cup, after winning a nail-biter against the Czech Republic. Taiwan defeated Czechia 4-1, despite a string of pitching mishaps in the final inning. The victory gave Taiwan a perfect 4-0 record in the tournament’s Group A.

Taiwan faced Czechia in the U-18 Baseball World Cup. In the bottom of the 7th and final inning, all Taiwan needed to do was hold on to its 4-0 lead. But it was right at this point that the team hit turbulence.

Middle relief pitcher Yang Nien-hsi walked the first batter, before tossing three bad balls in a row. A new pitcher, Tseng Wei-che, was sent to the mound. But he gave up two walks and hit a batter, allowing Czechia to get one run closer to a comeback.

With the bases loaded and tensions rising, Taiwan switched to Lin Po-chun as pitcher and Hu Meng-chih as catcher. And Lin didn’t disappoint as he fanned two batters in a row.

Taiwan needed only one more out to seal the deal. With Lin still on the mound, the batter hit a grounder toward third base with the bases still loaded. But the infield was able to get the final out to clinch the win.

Lin’s late-game prowess wasn’t Taiwan’s only stand-out performance of the day. Starting pitcher Wang Yen-en gave up just two hits over five innings. With this victory against the Czech Republic, Taiwan advanced to the Super Round with a perfect 4-0 record in the group stage.

七局下被攻滿壘差點輸捷克 U18台灣驚險晉級

2023-09-05

U18世界盃青棒賽台灣隊以四連勝晉級六強的超級循環賽，但是昨晚在預賽最後一場面對捷克的比賽差點陰溝裡翻船，最後半局被攻佔滿壘之後連換三任投手，才驚險守住勝利，以4:1獲勝，這樣的過程也讓年輕球員學到寶貴經驗。

U18世界盃青棒賽台灣戰捷克，最後半局以4:0領先的台灣隊，只要守住就能拿下勝利，但就在關鍵時刻，台灣隊遇到了大亂流。

中繼投手陽念希面對首位打者就投出四壞保送，接著又連續投出三顆壞球，雖然台灣隊教練團換上曾偉喆接替，但仍投出2次四壞和1次觸身球，讓捷克擠回1分。

緊張的滿壘時刻，台灣隊換上林鉑濬和胡孟智投捕搭檔登版，林鉑濬不負眾望連飆2K。

眼看只剩一個出局數，林鉑濬讓打者敲出三壘方向滾地球，不但化解滿壘危機，也為台灣隊守住這場勝利。

在這場比賽中，除了林鉑濬關鍵好投，先發投手王彥恩表現也十分出色，主投5局只被敲出2支安打。拿下了對戰捷克的勝利後，台灣隊也在預賽以四連勝全勝之姿，晉級超級循環賽。

Tsai embarks on 4-day state visit to Eswatini to mark 55th anniversary of ties

President Tsai Ing-wen has embarked on a four-day state visit to Eswatini, Taiwan’s only remaining ally in Africa. She will attend a celebration marking the 55th year of Eswatini’s independence, which coincides with the 55th anniversary of the Taiwan-Eswatini friendship. Just before her flight, Tsai praised Eswatini for standing by Taiwan despite global challenges.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
I will lead a delegation to once again visit our diplomatic ally Eswatini.

At Taoyuan International Airport, President Tsai Ing-wen speaks ahead of her second trip to Eswatini, Taiwan’s only remaining African ally. She’ll be there on a four-day state visit.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
Over the past few years, amid global challenges such as the pandemic and the expansion of authoritarianism, Eswatini has stood steadfastly by Taiwan’s side. This year marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between our two countries, as well as the 55th anniversary of Eswatini’s independence. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I will convey my most sincere congratulations.

Tsai touted the two nations’ 55-year friendship, stressing that Eswatini has long spoken up for Taiwan on the global stage. Since ascending to the Eswatini throne in 1986, King Mswati III has visited Taiwan 18 times, reflecting the friendship between the two sides.

Chen Yen-ling
FTV reporter
The president is embarking on a four-day trip. The main purpose is to attend a celebration honoring the 55th anniversary of Eswatini’s founding, which also marks 55 years of the Taiwan-Eswatini friendship. What’s notable about this trip is that Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai is accompanying Tsai, as Kaohsiung is about to formalize a sister-city relationship with Eswatini’s capital.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said that ahead of Tsai’s visit, a statement was issued by more than 80 lawmakers from 11 African countries, including South Africa, the Republic of Malawi, and Botswana. On behalf of each country’s Formosa Club branch, the statement welcomed President Tsai to Eswatini. It also commended Tsai for her “Africa plan,” which has achieved tangible results since it was initiated shortly after her 2018 visit to Eswatini.

Before departing, Tsai made clear that Taiwan’s storm recovery and other domestic affairs were still top of mind.

Tsai Ing-wen
President
I have instructed my administrative team to keep in close contact with local governments and to provide assistance with disaster recovery.

Even during state visits, domestic issues remain a priority, as Tsai aims to close out her tenure on a strong note.

2023-09-05

Taipei prosecutors rule that UDN report was based on forged document

2023-09-05

Taipei to end subsidies for neighborhood cleanup

Taipei City has decided to end its subsidy program for neighborhood cleanup, starting next year. The program is currently supported by a NT$30 million annual budget. That money goes to borough wardens who organize crews for community cleanup. A group of borough wardens held a press event on Tuesday, to urge the mayor to continue the popular initiative.

Borough wardens take a stand, chanting slogans in protest. Taipei has decided to terminate a popular recycling program. Starting next year, its NT$4,400 recycling subsidies will come to an end.

Hung Tien-hua
Borough warden
They’re going to discontinue it, and I’m very unhappy about that. How should I put this? At the time, I didn’t want a recycling station here, but the government kept encouraging us borough wardens to get onboard. Now that we’ve got the program up and running, they want to end it.

Huang Tsung-chih
Borough warden
It shouldn’t be that the central government says, “Jump!” and the rest of us immediately say, “How high?” Policies should be adapted for local conditions. The central government initiated this program in 2017, and so hasn’t it achieved results? Some borough wardens think they’ve done really well and they want to continue and keep it going. The government should accept this. Or at least retain part of the budget for people who feel they’re doing a good job.

The recycling program was launched to clean up communities. Borough wardens were asked to rally volunteers for street cleanup. Across Taipei’s 170 boroughs, some 1,000 volunteers are currently involved. Borough wardens say the program is important for environmental cleanliness and awareness. Its termination raises questions about the city’s commitment to the environment, they say.

Yang Wei-hsiu
Taipei Environmental Protection Bureau official
Taipei City’s Environmental Protection Bureau offers 188 night-time collection routes and 4,035 recycling points. If residents are unable to utilize them, there are another 32 time-restricted collection points. We collect five days a week, accepting garbage, recyclables, and kitchen scraps. Garbage goes into designated garbage bags, whereas kitchen waste and recyclables are transported away for free. So we’re continuing on with operations to preserve the rights and interests of our residents. We are not regressing on our commitment to environmental protection.

According to the city’s environmental authority, its decision to terminate was made to align with national policy. But borough wardens are urging the mayor to rethink the move and to retain what they see as an effective policy.

2023-09-05

Renai Township reels from storm ‘double whammy’

2023-09-05

Changhua County police trumpet surveillance cameras and vehicle identification system

Police in Changhua County are trumpeting the success of their embrace of traffic cameras. Since 2019, the county has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a growing network of surveillance cameras and a vehicle identification system. They credit the technology for significant reductions in theft and violent crime in the past few years. They’ve even caught hundreds of perpetrators of illegal waste dumping using the system.

Footage from traffic cameras across the county are sent back to a control room, where a police officer carries out comparative analysis.

Chen Kui-pin
Changhua County Police Department
Using all the data from the cloud, sent to our control room, is a big help in investigations.

This “Net in the Sky” combines footage of vehicle license plates and vehicle movements with “Active Pursuit Systems.” Police can check surveillance records anytime, working out the vehicle a criminal is using with footage identification technologies, and tracking its movements. The system can be used on a phone, and identify wanted vehicles on the street, bolstering the capacities of law enforcement.

Chen Kui-pin
Changhua County Police Department
For example, apart from identifying license plates, we can also do real-time tracking, and that can be a great help in pursuing a case.

As the saying goes, “A craftsman needs good tools.” Since 2019, Changhua County Police Department has allocated NT$380 million toward a net of more than 10,000 surveillance cameras across the county. A further NT$243 million was in the 2023 budget for another 1,400 cameras, which will bring the total to 12,190 countywide.

Wang Hui-mei
Changhua County commissioner
This system has a 98% success rate in helping us solve cases.

Police say the cameras have significantly reduced the rates of robbery, muggings, hit-and-runs and street violence. In 2017, there were more than 300 car and scooter thefts, but in 2022, there were just 199, a 30% reduction. Meanwhile, 252 people have been arrested for 144 separate cases of illegal waste dumping. Police are delighted to see environmental crime groups leave the county.

2023-09-05

Recycled school garden inspires kids with plants in tooth-shaped pots

2023-09-05

More than 4,000 convenience stores to offer TPass reloading

2023-09-05

Taiwan Lottery unveils two new scratch cards for Mid-Autumn Festival

2023-09-05

Second-gen immigrants creates documentary about Taiwan’s migrant workers

A young amateur filmmaker is working on a documentary about Taiwan’s migrant workers. Second-generation immigrant Li Cheng-yen moved to Hualien from China when he was 4 years old. He’s always been interested in the stories of other immigrants, especially Taiwan’s Southeast Asian migrant workers. Now he’s creating media for the Global Indonesia Care Association, a group which supports Indonesians in Taiwan. The association’s team are finding that new media broadens their social reach and builds bridges between the two cultures.

The director behind the camera is Li Cheng-yen, a second-generation immigrant from China’s Sichuan Province. He came to Taiwan and settled in Hualien with his parents when he was 4 years old. The media creator is now making his first event-based documentary about the wedding customs of Indonesian migrant workers.

Li is working with Sandy, the director of Global Indonesia Care Association, to support Indonesian immigrants in Taiwan. Two years ago, the association started to develop media projects. Everyone got stuck into learning community management, with the guidance of a professional teacher.

Li Cheng-yen
Second-generation immigrant
I’ve been studying on my phone for less than six months. I just started picking up the camera with the guidance of my teacher, and gradually going around different locations and learning the skills. And then I’ve jumped into lots of projects for the association.

Li has always cared about immigrants’ and migrant workers’ issues, what with growing up with an immigrant mother. He’s getting the hang of design, filming and editing, and working with Indonesian migrant workers and exchange students in the association. They make podcasts from an Indonesian perspective, as well as travel shows and Mandarin language learning content.

The association’s new media content has attracted enquiries from more and more Indonesian workers and students, enabling the association to respond to more issues.

Li Cheng-yen
Second-generation immigrant
We’re a team that has to make our own events, do our own filming, and create our own strategies. So actually thinking about it, it’s not that easy!

But the creative team are passionate about the potentials of new media and its ever-spreading reach. Li says he will keep recording the stories of the migrant workers who bring their dreams to Taiwan. He’s convinced that when we take the time to get to know and understand people, we will naturally develop affection and acceptance. Just one step is all you need to reach out.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

2023-09-05

Illustrator Mark Lee celebrates 15 years of manga about office life

Illustrator Mark Lee is celebrating 15 years of manga about the trials and tribulations of white-collar work. Lee’s cutely ironic take on office life has brought a wry smile to many readers. But a successful career in art was not handed Lee on a plate. Before his art took off, he started a string of failed businesses, and was betrayed by a friend-turned-business-partner. At his lowest point, he had NT$20 million of debt. Maybe it’s that familiarity with the low points of business that enables Lee to depict workplace dramas with such clarity.

A cute animation accompanies an all-too-lifelike plot that could speak for many viewers. Illustrator Mark Lee has been on the side of the average office worker with his workplace manga for 15 years. He’s inspired by real life, of course.

Mark Lee
Illustrator
In the early days I often made notes, and whatever thoughts I had I would stick them in the cartoon.

His notebooks are full of images and scribbled records. Lee has been studying art since he was young, and started his professional career in 2008 – right in the middle of the global financial crisis. He offered readers a humorous angle on the daily tedium of office life and had become famous in less than a year.

Mark Lee
Illustrator
The workplace is already a gory place. If you then went and drew it very realistically, I think it wouldn’t have a good resonance. But there’s a contrasting tone, which is like, your images are cuter, but you’re telling these serious workplace stories, and that creates a contrast.

Lee now has his own studio. He creates the stories, and draws the initial sketches, and his employees transform them into a finished product. It all looks shiny now, but Lee’s success sits on the foundation of some harsh life experiences. In days past, he founded several companies which failed, and was betrayed by a friend. He was left with debts of NT$20 million. But he managed to make energy out of his rage and grief, using that low point as fuel for his creativity.

Mark Lee
Illustrator
I started a few companies when I was younger. And they all ended in huge failures, actually. So I had debts of eight digits at one point in my life. And that became something which I later put into my work, or a factor that influenced my art later.

Lee has been around the block a few times, and he’s no longer afraid of difficulties. After many years in art, he can truly claim to be an alternative spokesperson for the frustrated white-collar worker.

2023-09-05