China unilaterally activates W121 flight path ahead of Han Kuang drills

China unilaterally activates W121 flight path ahead of Han Kuang drills

2025-07-07

China has announced it will activate flight path W121, which connects to flight path M503 near the median line of the Taiwan Strait. The move comes just days ahead of the annual Han Kuang military defense drills. DPP lawmaker Wang Ting-yu says the move is a sign that China is trying to use civil aviation as a means to reduce Taiwan’s ability to respond to surprise attacks.

The M503 flight path lies west of the Taipei Flight Information Region. It has three extensions: flight paths W123, W122 and W121, unilaterally activated by China in 2018, 2024 and 2025, respectively. International news publications such as Reuters and the Wall Street Journal have previously noted the significance of the flight routes for cross-strait relations.

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#crossstrait #china #taiwan #flightroute #m503 #w212

中國無預警銜接W121航路逼近台海中線

2025-07-07

中國宣布啟用M503航路W121銜接線，航線不只接近台海中線，宣布時機點更選在漢光演習前夕。中國宣稱，是為緩解航線壓力，但立委王定宇分析，中國等於透過民航航線逼近台海中線，壓縮台灣因應突襲的應變時間、空間。

M503是位在台北飛航情報區以西航線，有W123、W122、W121三銜接航線，中國分別在2018、2024和今年片面開通航線。路透社分析，中國單方面畫設M503航路，牽動國防飛安；華爾街日報表示，中國正逐步改變台海空域現狀。

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Crab Shows up in Toilet A crab found in the toilet of Pingtung guesthouse

A guest was staying at a guesthouse along the coast of Pingtung when they made an unexpected discovery: a crab was sitting in the toilet bowl. Frightened, the guest quickly called the guesthouse owner, who responded calmly, saying it was perfectly normal. Let’s see what happened.

A crab appearing in the toilet gave the guest quite a scare, prompting a quick call to the guesthouse owner.

Voice of guesthouse owner
The guest said, “There’s a crab in your toilet. Is that normal?” I said, “Oh, that’s pretty normal! Around this time of year, they often show up in our toilets because our drainage pipes are pretty close to the ocean.”

The crab moved without hesitation. Placed back into the toilet, it walked straight into the drainpipe.

Voice of guesthouse owner
This area actually has a very rich ecosystem with lots of land crabs, so we’re used to seeing hermit crabs and other crabs inside the guesthouse.

The owner says the area around the guesthouse is full of nature, and the local ecosystem is harmless. He says land crabs make frequent appearances. But how do guests feel about this?

Guest
It’s not a big deal. Nothing to make a fuss over.

Guest
I would scream! Why would there be a crab in the toilet?

This species — Episesarma versicolor, or the violet vinegar crab — is one of Taiwan’s two largest land crabs. It’s nocturnal, and most active between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.

Voice of Ku Ching-fang
Carcinologist
I’ve come across this multiple times. I’ve seen various types of land crabs show up inside people’s homes, so it’s not surprising to find one in a toilet.

Over two years ago in Chiayi County’s Dongshi Township, a local resident discovered a 15cm land crab in their toilet. At first, they thought they were seeing things, but even after flushing, the crab wouldn’t go away. In contrast, this one at the Pingtung guesthouse really was no big deal.

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#crabs #cancerszn #nature #marinelife #natureisawesome #beach

2025-07-07

TSMC faces discrimination class action lawsuit in US

A lawsuit against TSMC alleging discrimination and safety concerns was refilled by 17 former and current US employees in the Arizona plant. The plaintiffs alleged that the company discriminates against local US hires and favors Taiwanese and Chinese employees, and that local US employees were subject to racist remarks by those foreign workers. They also claimed that the company does not have sufficient safety measures on their facilities. In response, TSMC said they will not comment on litigation outside of court filings, but that with a global team of more than 3,000 employees at the TSMC Arizona, the company will continue to build a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment.

TSMC’s fab in the US state of Arizona employs top talent from around the world. However, last year in November, 13 former and current employees accused the company of “anti-American” discrimination. In July, a discrimination lawsuit against TSMC was refiled, this time by 17 plaintiffs. They submitted more than 160 pages of allegations to the court.

Jeffrey Chiu
Ansforce CEO
Semiconductor fabs have very strict standards in terms of discipline. The high yield rate is a result of great discipline. Western companies are more liberal. It will take them some time to get used to the company culture at TSMC’s US plant.

According to a report by a local TV news outlet, 12News, employees at the Arizona plant alleged that TSMC favored Taiwanese and Chinese hires, and that around half of the employees were on foreign work visas. Additionally, they also said US employees were marginalized.

A supplier for TSMC revealed that when they visit the Arizona plant, they’d speak Chinese directly to the Taiwanese employees out of habit. They said, that since local US employees don’t understand Chinese, they felt sidelined. Following such incidents, managers at TSMC Arizona had since asked engineers to use English as the main language at work.

Jeffrey Chiu
Ansforce CEO
The US employees may think that if their rights are not being protected, then the company is at fault and so they can make their feelings known to the company to an extent. For a company with great stature and management like TSMC, it shouldn’t be a problem for them to explain things in detail to US employees in English.

Plaintiffs also alleged to insufficient security measures in the company, such as a lack of personal protective gear and that they were required to call the company’s internal service instead of 911 in case of an emergency.

In a statement to 12News, TSMC said the company will not comment on litigation outside of court filings. The company added that it’s proud of the global team of more than 3,000 people that has come together to make their new facility in Arizona a success, and that they look forward to growing the site into a major center of American semiconductor manufacturing excellence. They ended by saying that TSMC is committed to providing a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment for employees, contractors, and everyone who works at their facilities around the world.

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#tsmc #semiconductors #chipmaking #madeinamerica #tsmcarizona #classactionlawsuit

2025-07-07

Aquarium shares secret of drawing whale, penguin blood for health exams

Animals need health checkups just as much as people do. The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Pingtung does annual exams for its beluga whales, including measuring their weight and doing a blood test. But how do you draw blood from animals like whales and penguins? Let’s find out...

With its giant head and adorable face, the beluga whale is the star of the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium. The aquarium has three, all in their young adulthoods at 26. But as they’re getting older, the park needs to be more vigilant about their health.

A whale opens its mouth wide for the vet, who carefully examines its eyes and body to see if anything is amiss. They also need to draw blood. This time, the whale obediently rolls over to show its tail fin.

Aquarium attendant
They know they have to cooperate when it’s time for a checkup. For example, when taking blood, we ask them to roll over. They’ll do it and expose their tailfin for us.

Beluga whales are as intelligent as a seven-year-old human. They can understand the keeper through their gestures and voice, and recognize specific people.

The aquarium is also known for its penguins.

Its four different types of penguins all have different temperaments. So when they all live together, it’s difficult to avoid conflict, making health checks necessary work. This one stands nicely on a scale, while another stretches its foot into a Y shape so the vet can take blood. When they’re done, it’s just like with humans—the vet tapes on a bandage to stem the bleeding.

Aquarium attendant
For our health checks, we work with the National Pingtung University of Science and Technology to check their vitals so that we can provide better care for them.

With everyday observation and regular health exams, the aquarium can make sure that their animals stay fit to keep growing older alongside the children who love to come see them.

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#aquarium #whale #belugawhale #penguins #Pingtung #healthexam #animalhealth #veterinarian

2025-07-07

Tainan woman returns home to find hatched ducklings

A Tainan woman whose mother had bought duck eggs to eat and left them sitting for two weeks came home to an interesting surprise one evening – the quacking of ducklings. To her astonishment, eggs that were meant to be food had cracked open, and tiny ducklings had emerged. The woman, Ms. Pan, was both shocked and thrilled.

What this woman thought was an unfertilized duck egg had cracked open, and a tiny duckling poked its head out. She quickly wrapped the duckling in a towel to keep it warm.

Voice of Ms. Pan
Unexpected duck mom
When I got home from work, my mom told me that while she was busy in the kitchen that morning, she heard quacking sounds. She went to see where the noise was coming from and found that one of the eggs she bought had cracked, and a duckling had emerged from it.

Later, the other eggs hatched as well. She shared photos of the ducklings online, which were widely reshared. It all started about two weeks ago, when Ms. Pan’s mother had bought duck eggs from a friend. She left them sitting in the house—and unexpectedly, they hatched. A total of seven ducklings were hatched from the eggs. One didn’t survive, but the remaining six were well taken care of: given a cozy nest and a small basin to splash in. Ms. Pan’s family all chipped in to take care of the new pets.

Voice of Ms. Pan
Unexpected duck mom
My mom’s friend didn’t explain clearly. She just told her they were duck eggs, so my mom thought they were salted duck eggs and left them in the kitchen.

Normally, duck eggs sold in markets are from egg-laying ducks raised on farms, and these eggs are typically unfertilized, meaning they won’t hatch.

Hsu Hsing-chun
Tainan Agricultural Bureau
There must have been a male duck present in the environment where the mother duck was raised, which led to the eggs being fertilized. And with the right external conditions—such as sufficient warmth—ducklings can hatch.

Though it’s extremely rare for store-bought duck eggs to hatch, this special experience has turned Ms. Pan into an instant duck mom. She plans to raise the ducklings as pets.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#duck #cute #cuteanimals #ducklings #lovely #saltedegg

2025-07-07

Visitors to tudigong altar in Yilan offered popsicles

One altar in Zhuangwei Township, Yilan County has a unique approach to worship: visitors enjoy a free popsicle together with the local tutelary deity. When the Yilan Qianggu Cultural Association was erecting a pillar here recently, they accidentally dug up the deity’s statue, so they built an altar to worship it. Since the association’s members would eat popsicles to cool off during practices for a local pole-climbing competition, they decided the icy treats would be a good way for the public to build a connection with the deity.

Opening this freezer, visitors are greeted with a full stock of popsicles in different flavors – all of which are free.

You have probably never heard of worshippers eating popsicles during prayer, but at this altar in Yilan’s Zhuangwei Township, that’s exactly what visitors do. During Mother’s Day this year, the Yilan Qianggu Cultural Association held a ceremony here to erect a pillar. While installing the pillar, they unexpectedly dug up a statue for the “tudigong” – the local tutelary deity. Since popsicles are a favorite treat of the association, they decided to use popsicles to connect with local worshippers.

Qianggu Cultural Association head coach
We dug up the tudigong here, and thought of moving him to a nearby temple. However, when we asked him through divination if he would be ok with the move, there was no response. Then we asked if he wanted to stay here, and got three affirmative responses in a row. So he clearly wanted to remain here.

The altar was named “Shunfeng,” because a key aspect of the local community’s culture is the Shunfeng flag raising competition, which symbolizes safety and success. Since the coach for the competition often buys popsicles for the team during hot summer practices, the idea came up to use popsicles to connect with visitors.

Qianggu Cultural Association head coach
One of our association members said, “Coach, there’s a temple known for sharing instant noodles, why don’t we share popsicles?” I told him, “I can’t decide that. You’ll have to ask the tudigong.” So, they cast divination blocks, and the tudigong responded positively.

Member of the public
I didn’t expect there to be popsicles—it was quite a surprise. So, we hurried over.

The story of the tudigong who offers popsicles has garnered widespread attention. Though the altar is small, its icy treats have drawn in curious visitors from far and wide.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#mothersday #tudigong #taiwan #culture #religion

2025-07-07

Typhoon Danas batters Chiayi after making landfall in Budai Township

Typhoon Danas made landfall around 11:40 p.m. on Sunday night, in Chiayi’s Budai Township and left devastation in its wake. A video footage posted online showed an ambulance that just stopped outside a hospital being blown sideways in the storm. In many areas, signposts and tree trunks were strewn all over. Fortunately, no casualties were reported over this period in the county.
Outside the hospital’s ER, the storm is so strong, an ambulance that just arrived, with emergency lights still on, is blown sideways.

Staff at the hospital stand guard by the main entrance, afraid that the glass door will be blown off too. Typhoon Danas, which caused the scene, made a rare landfall in Chiayi.

Eunice Lin
FTV reporter
Typhoon Danas made landfall in Chiayi’s Budai Township late night July 6. It also battered the downtown area of Chiayi. The path Danas took was quite rare. In official records, only eight typhoons in total made landfall north of Tainan on the west coast.

Local resident
It’s like a great earthquake or war. Really frightening.

In another part of town, Chia-Le-Fu Night Market was also terribly battered. The two pillars at the entrance collapsed, leaving the neon sign hanging between two stands. At the food court, the stands were all left in shambles, with damaged stands and goods scattered all over.

Night market vendor
It was already like this when I came here at 6. It’s the first time I’ve seen the wind blowing things off like this.

Downtown, uprooted tree trunks hit vehicles and broke electric cables. Zhongzheng Park was also devastated, with more than a handful of fallen trees and even a ladder blown up and lodged in the canopy.

Local resident
I’ve never seen such strong wind. Even an entire traffic light collapsed. So scary!

Typhoon Danas’ rare landfall in Chiayi left the county in terrible devastation. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in the county.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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#typhoon #naturaldisasters #tainan #temple #extremeweather #typhoondanas #danas #typhoonwatch

2025-07-07

Historic temple gate, car park shop sign snapped in half by Danas

A 360-year-old temple was one of the buildings battered by Typhoon Danas in Tainan. A magnificent ornamental gate at its entrance was blown to the ground after all 12 pillars supporting it snapped. The debris is now lying in a pool of floodwater, which has yet to recede. Another spectacular collapse happened in the car park of a chain retailer in Jiali District. There, the strong winds bent and broke an electric sign, which erupted with sparks as it fell to the ground.

The footage is terrifying. The sign sways in the wind before suddenly coming crashing down. The pillar splits in half, and the cables send sparks flying everywhere, in a spectacular explosion.

The collapse happened in the car park of a chain retailer in Tainan’s Jiali District on Sunday evening. Strong gusts of wind snapped the sign right in half, a testament to the might of Typhoon Danas.

Cheng Po-hui
FTV reporter
Workers dealt with the debris in the morning after the collapse, which happened when the shop was still open. Fortunately when the structure came falling down, nobody was near it, and nobody was hurt.

Heard the collapse
I heard a loud crash, but I didn’t know what happened. Scary!

Another collapsed structure was a gate at the 360-year-old Nankunshen Temple. Strong winds blew the whole thing down, leaving the ornamental carvings and statuettes in a puddle on the ground.

Member of public
I never thought it would collapse. It had so many pillars but it still fell down. The lights on the gate were on, but then I couldn’t see them anymore. I did another take and I went to look and it had really collapsed.

The gate was built 40 years ago, and was held up by 12 pillars, all of which were snapped off. The once magnificent arch is now lying on the ground in shambles in a pool of water. Though the wind and rain eased somewhat on Monday, the square outside the temple remains flooded. At its deepest area, the water reaches up above the ankles, and many fragments of the gate are submerged.

And the temple was not the only structure damaged. Nearby, metal roofing was blown off buildings.

Local resident
It’s so heavy, but it was blown all the way here. The typhoon was stronger this time. It didn’t cross over from the east coast, so it didn’t get blocked by the Central Mountain Range. It came straight from the south.

Locals are helplessness in the wake of the typhoon. It’ll be long before things go back to normal.

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#typhoon #typhoondanas #naturaldisaster #tainan #temple #sign #impressive #extremeweather #wind #rain

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Untreated sewage pours into homes, alleyway becomes canal

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