Tag: Taiwan

  • 13 hospitalized after Korean Air plane faces defect in pressurization system

    13 hospitalized after Korean Air plane faces defect in pressurization system

    A Korean Air flight bound for Taiwan faced a malfunction with the pressurization system, leading to the hospitalization of 13 out of 125 passengers.

    The plane descended from the height of 35,000 feet to 9,000 feet within the span of ten minutes due to sudden uncontrollable decompression just 50 minutes into the flight.

    The pressurization system is responsible for regulating the internal pressure of an aircraft.

    The plane was returned to the Incheon International Airport, where it departed from.

    15 passengers suffered from eardrum pain and hyperventilation during the descent. Among them, 13 were taken to a hospital, reported Yohap News Agency.

  • Earthquake in Taiwan ‘strongest in 25 years’: Taipei seismology official

    Earthquake in Taiwan ‘strongest in 25 years’: Taipei seismology official

    Taipei, Taiwan – The earthquake that hit Taiwan’s east on Wednesday morning was “the strongest in 25 years”, said the director of Taipei’s Seismology Centre.

    “The earthquake is close to land and it’s shallow. It’s felt all over Taiwan and offshore islands… it’s the strongest in 25 years since the (1999) earthquake,” Wu Chien-fu told reporters, referring to a September 1999 quake with 7.6-magnitude that killed 2,400 people.

  • 40 countries to hold elections in 2024, including Pakistan

    40 countries to hold elections in 2024, including Pakistan

    The new year is just over one month away and it is going to be the biggest election year in history yet.

    40 countries are scheduled to vote in 2024 across the globe which, as calculated by Bloomberg Economics, represent 41% of the world’s population and 42% of its global GDP.

    The marathon will begin with Taiwan in January and end with the US in November.

    Here are some of the prominent countries lined up for elections: Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Gambia, and Libya in Africa; Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, the United States, and Venezuela in the Americas; Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Australia, and Pakistan in Asia and Oceania; Austria, Belarus, Belgium, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom in Europe.

    There are, however, four elections that the world has eyes on — elections that are expected to alter geopolitics in the next decade.

    Russia will elect the new president in March who will govern until 2030, putting Russia-NATO relations at the forefront.

    In April-May, India will hold elections and as per analysts, Modi’s loss can push back investors.

    The European Union will conduct bloc-wide polls in June to appoint members of the European Parliament for the 2024-2029 which will be pertinent for the increasing friction between right-wing and left-wing policymakers on issues like immigration and Ukraine.

    The United States will hold legislative and presidential elections in November for 2025-2028, while everyone curiously waits whether Republicans will return to the White House or not.

  • ‘Til trash do us part: Taiwan couple embraces garbage wedding shoot

    ‘Til trash do us part: Taiwan couple embraces garbage wedding shoot

    A Taiwanese couple decked out in a tux and gown embrace in front of a mountain of trash in an unorthodox wedding photo – one the environment-conscious bride hopes will discourage her guests from generating unnecessary garbage.

    Greenpeace campaigner Iris Hsueh and her fiance are having their “environmentally friendly wedding” in January, and have asked guests to bring their own containers for taking home leftovers.

    Deciding that showing – not telling – was a more effective communication method, the Taipei-based couple travelled three hours south for a photo shoot in Nantou county’s Puli township, where the amount of trash brought to a local dump has steadily risen over the years.

    “If any guests are not willing to bring along a container, I would show them the photograph and say, ‘would you reconsider?’” the 33-year-old told AFP, adding that the photos ended up drawing local media attention.

    “I didn’t think it would create such a big sensation.”

    Self-ruled Taiwan, an island of 23 million people, has had a recycling programme since 1987, with over 50 per cent of household trash processed through the system – among the highest rates in the world.

    But Puli township’s sanitation crew chief Chen Chun-hung said the amount of garbage there has mushroomed – back in the 1980s, it was about 20 tonnes a day; now, its about 50.

  • Apple steps up iPhone 14 production shift from China to India

    Apple steps up iPhone 14 production shift from China to India

    In an attempt to expand its manufacturing base outside of China, Apple has recruited another assembly partner for the iPhone 14 production lineup in India, according to Bloomberg.

    Following Foxconn, which started making the iPhone 14 models in India in September, Taiwanese contract maker Pegatron will manufacture the model in the country.

    The iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and most recently the iPhone 14 are all produced at Apple’s Taiwanese assembly partners Foxconn, Wistron, and Pegatron’s iPhone manufacturing facilities in India. The production of the most recent model has seen a significant reduction in the time between Chinese and Indian output from months to weeks.

    In the five months since April, Apple has exported $1 billion worth of iPhones from India. Despite being modest by Chinese standards, India’s rising iPhone production indicates Apple’s willingness to invest there as a rival to China’s dominance in electronics assembly, which has recently been weakened by the latter’s zero-COVID policy.

    Following an epidemic at the factory, which resulted in the metropolis of nearly 10 million people being shut down, Foxconn’s major Zhengzhou plant, which employs about 200,000 people, has been subject to the same limits. According to one report, when COVID-19 rules in China become more stringent, iPhone production might decrease by as much as 30 per cent the following month.

    Despite the coincidence of events, Apple’s long-term production development plans in India are unrelated to China’s lockdown issues, even though they do serve to emphasise the company’s utter reliance on only one nation.

    Apple is playing a long game by shifting its production lines away from China, one that won’t have a significant influence on its supply chain for many years. According to a recent Bloomberg article, it would take eight years to relocate just 10 per cent of Apple’s production capacity from China, where over 98 per cent of iPhones are still produced.

  • Nursing Home apologises for hiring strippers to entertain senior citizens

    Nursing Home apologises for hiring strippers to entertain senior citizens

    A nursing home in Taiwan has issued an apology for hiring strippers to entertain senior citizens.

    The Taoyuan Veterans Home, a state-run facility for retired army veterans, hired a stripper to perform for a group of retired seniors in commemoration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is an important occasion in Chinese culture. The Moon Festival, which took place this year on September 10, is also known as the Mooncake Festival.

    After a video from the event was widely shared on social media, the facility came under intense criticism. The video shows the scantily-clad dancer performing for a crowd of about a dozen men in wheelchairs. The men can be seen laughing, clapping, and enjoying the performance.

    “The intention of the event was to entertain residents and make them happy. We are very sorry for the offence that was caused,” the senior care facility said in a statement after receiving backlash.

    The nursing home said that it will be careful in the future while organising events for its geriatric patients.

  • 13 mesmerising photos of the Super Flower Blood Moon

    13 mesmerising photos of the Super Flower Blood Moon

    The first lunar eclipse of the current year took place on May 26 (Wednesday) but it wasn’t just a lunar eclipse with a simple full moon, it was a Super Flower Blood Moon. Photos of the Super Flower Blood Moon were shared from around the world and some scenic pictures will leave you in shock.

    A super moon occurs when the moon appears larger than usual in the night sky because it is at its closest point to Earth in its orbit, known as the perigee.

    According to NASA, a blood moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse, when the Earth is positioned directly between the moon and the sun. Earth’s atmosphere filters the sunlight, scattering blue light but allowing red light to pass through.

    May’s full moon is additionally known as the “Flower Moon,” named for the abundance of flowers associated with spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

    Astrophotographers around the globe captured breathtaking images of the event, which was clearly visible in Asia and Australia, as well as much of the US and South America.

    Here are some of the pictures that we’ve collected for you:

    Pakistan

    Arfa Karim Tower, Lahore by Art by Wasif

    New Zealand

    The total lunar eclipse is seen on May 26, 2021, in Auckland, New Zealand. 

    Australia

    A surfer is seen as the “Super Flower Blood Moon” rises over the Pacific Ocean at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on May 26, 2021.

    Brazil

    A lunar eclipse is observed during dawn in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

    Britain

    The full moon is seen behind Stonehenge stone circle near Amesbury, Britain, May 26, 2021.

    Hong Kong

    The moon is pictured above Hong Kong on May 26, 2021, during a total lunar eclipse.

    California

    The full moon sets over Santa Monica Beach in Santa Monica, California, Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

    Mexico

    The lunar eclipse is seen on May 26, 2021, in Mexico City, Mexico.

    Taiwan

    A full moon is seen, May 26, 2021, during a partial eclipse in Taipei.

    Indonesia

    The moon is pictured above Jakarta during a total lunar eclipse, on May 26, 2021,

    China

    A total lunar eclipse occurs in the night sky of Haikou, the capital of southwest China’s Hainan Province, on May 25, 2021.

    Hawaii

    The full moon rises over the Makapuu lighthouse in east Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S., on May 25, 2021. 

    Turkey

    The full moon is seen over the Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, in Ankara, Turkey, on May 26, 2021.

  • Man’s wife sells his PS5 after he lied and told her it was an air purifier

    Man’s wife sells his PS5 after he lied and told her it was an air purifier

    A Taiwanese man bought the newest Playstation 5 but could not enjoy playing with the device because his wife sold the console after she found out his lie about it being an air purifier.

    The buyer, Jin Wu, shared the experience on Facebook. Wu said he arranged a meeting with the seller in person and even called to verify the purchase, but was met by a female voice, who he said didn’t sound like she was much of a gamer.

    Wu added that the “price is also the cheapest to find on the day.”

    When Wu met the seller to claim his new PS5, he was greeted by a sad husband instead of his wife.

    After a short exchange about where the device was purchased, the husband admitted that he tricked his wife into thinking the game console was an air purifier.

    “It’s my wife who wants to sell it,” the Facebook post read. “I went silent after seeing the look in his eyes. I could feel his pain.”

    “Seems like women can still tell the difference between a PS5 console and an air purifier,” the post concluded.

  • Teenager’s favourite dish wakes him up from 62-day coma

    A teenager from Taiwan, who fell into a coma for 62 days after a road accident, regained consciousness when his brother called his favourite dish name ‘chicken fillet’.

    According to details, the 18-year-old boy had met an accident while riding his scooter, suffering severe injuries to multiple organs. Chiu underwent six operations during his hospitalization period.

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    His pulse began to accelerate on the 62nd day when his elder brother joked: “Brother, I’m going to eat your favourite chicken fillet.” The nurse said that he miraculously began to regain consciousness and his vital signs began to stabilize.

    Chiu was later discharged from the hospital after he gained full recovery. He thanked the medical team with a cake.

  • VIDEO: 3-year-old girl reported safe after being lifted several meters into air by kite

    VIDEO: 3-year-old girl reported safe after being lifted several meters into air by kite

    A 3-year-old girl in Taiwan was reported safe after getting caught in the strings of a kite and lifted several meters into the air.

    A girl was taking part in a kite festival in Taiwan when she was caught up by a giant, long-tailed orange kite.

    Videos being circulated on social media showed that she was twisted several times above a crowd of adults who tried to pull the kite back to earth. As per reports, the girl was terrified and suffered minor physical injuries in the incident.

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