President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Sunday urged people in Taiwan to conserve water and brace for shortages.
The country’s reservoirs are at their lowest levels in decades due to scant rainfall and no typhoons in the second half of 2020.
Water levels in six reservoirs have fallen below 20 percent capacity.
The president did, however, announce that there was enough water to last the public and chipmakers until the late May rainy season.
To make that happen, large swathes of farmland have been forced to lie fallow.
Normally, 70 percent of Taiwan’s water goes to agriculture, 20 percent to industry and the rest to the public.
According to the results of the survey released by the Modern Women’s Foundation (MWF), 43 percent of women have experienced sexual harassment at work.
However, only 10.3 percent of the affected women reported these cases to their companies.
A DPP poll on the KMT chair race found that in a two-way race, among the KMT supporters surveyed, 55 percent said they would support Eric Chu, and 31.9 percent said they would support Johnny Chiang.
In a three-way race, 44 percent would support Chu, 29.4 percent would support Han Kuo-yu and 19.4 percent Chiang.
In a four-way race including Sean Lien, he would come in last with 15.8 percent.
The KMT has submitted to the Central Election Commission (CEC) signatures it has collected backing its petitions to hold referendums on imported pork containing ractopamine residue and aligning referendums with general elections.
The two petitions have each garnered more than 700,000 signatures, far more than necessary.
Meanwhile, a non-KMT organized–though supported by many in the KMT–algal reef referendum has reached over 500,000 signatures, and is looking likely to reach their targets as well.
The CEC will need to approve all three before allowing them on the ballot on Aug 28 this year.
Manufacturing activity expanded in February for the eighth consecutive month.
Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) warned the administration of US President Joe Biden to roll back former US President Donald Trump’s “dangerous practice” of showing support for Taiwan.
“The Chinese government has no room for compromise,” Wang said.
“We urge the new US administration to fully understand the high sensitivity of the Taiwan issue” and “completely change the previous administration’s dangerous practices of ‘crossing the line’ and ‘playing with fire.’
In response to this and other recent statements, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) in Taiwan issued a statement saying that the Republic of China is a sovereign nation, and that Taiwan has never been a part of the People’s Republic of China.
Taiwan and Palau are in the planning stage of creating a “travel bubble” between the two nations.
Rapid coronavirus testing is reportedly being considered as an option.
Palau is one of the few nations to diplomatically recognize Taiwan, and was punished by China by withdrawing their tourists.
Taiwan’s military is planning to send two representatives to the United States to attend an annual meeting on bilateral exchanges of military mapping and geospatial information in August.
Last year’s meeting was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Image courtesy of Eric Chu’s FB page
