TransAsia flying rights to be revoked
The domestic and international flying rights of TransAsia Airways are to be revoked and will be re-assigned to other airlines by the end of this year, according to the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA). Former CAA chief Billy Chang (張國政) has also withdrawn his takeover offer, saying "it is impossible to run TransAsia without flying rights," reports state-owned CNA.
Lower thresholds for recall of elected public officials
Amendments to the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法) were passed yesterday at the Legislative Yuan, lowering thresholds for the recall of public officials and allowing activities that support or oppose recalls, which are currently forbidden. The Project Appendectomy movement, which failed to take down several Kuomintang (KMT) legislators during the 2014 Sunflower Movement, said in a statement that the amendment is “a victory for the people and a significant milestone for Taiwan’s democracy,” reports Taipei Times.
Wang Chien-ming returns home, considers retiring
Taiwanese professional baseball pitcher Wang Chien-ming (王建明) landed in Taiwan yesterday for a month long stay. He hopes to return to play in the U.S. Major League Baseball next season, but if things don’t work out, he might retire from the game.
Taiwanese chosen as Trump's Secretary of Transportation
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Taipei-born Elaine Chao (趙小薇) as transportation secretary. Chao served as labor secretary in the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2009, and will be playing "a key role" in Trump's proposed plan to invest heavily in infrastructure over the next 10 years, reports Taiwan News.
Six new HIV cases in Taiwan each day
Health officials in Taiwan say 1,991 new HIV-positive cases were reported in the first 10 months of this year. The total for the year to the end of October, which is roughly flat on the same period last year, reflects an average of six new HIV cases reported a day, CNA reports.
In a recent interview, director of the Centers for Disease Control's Division of Chronic Infectious Disease said that despite previous campaigns and sex education classes at school, talking about sex and relationships is still taboo in many Taiwanese households and “the general public is unaware of the risk of HIV/AIDS.”
Two women injured in 'random' attack in Taipei metro
Two women were injured after being punched by a man in Taipei yesterday in what appears to be a random attack.
A suspect is being held by police, who say the man, 32, suffers from mental illness, CNA reports.
In October, the lawyer for convicted murderer Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) warned that isolation and alienation were key factors in the killing and that such feelings are widespread across Taiwan. Cheng Chieh killed four and injured 22 in 2014 and was executed earlier this year.
Editor: Edward White
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