Taiwan

DNA from ancient skeletons reveals the Polynesians may have come from Taiwan 5,000 years ago

Now a genetic study has raised intriguing new insights into who the pioneering sea-going people who first arrived on the remote South Pacific Islands were.

The findings suggest that the first inhabitants on the Polynesian islands did not come from New Guinea as originally thought.

Instead they appear to have come from another mysterious Neolithic East Asian population that is thought to have originated in Taiwan.

Taiwan asks Google to blur images from disputed island

Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba, is part of the Spratly Island chain, embroiled in increasingly tense South China Sea territorial disputes.

Although it is controlled by Taiwan, the island is also claimed by mainland China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Four new structures have appeared since Google Earth's last satellite images.

The images showed four three-pronged structures in a semi-circle next to an upgraded airstrip and near a sizeable new port.

What is the South China Sea dispute?

Super Typhoon Meranti targets Taiwan, mainland China

Meranti is forecast to make landfall along the southern tip of the island of Taiwan, home to more than 23 million people, on Wednesday morning local time.

Fortunately, most of the population lives on the northern and western side of the island. Even though Meranti, which likely will still be a super typhoon at landfall (meaning the winds are in excess of 150 mph/240 kph) on the southern tip, the entire island will feel the storm's wrath.

Hard times for 'betel nut beauties' as Taiwan tries to kick deadly addiction

The top she wears is tight, and the transparent miniskirt she's wearing reveals a tattoo on her hip. She's waiting for truck drivers or working men to stop and buy her goods.

In most other cities, it might be assumed those "goods" were sexual services.

But not here.

Ling Ling sells betel nuts, an addictive snack that is hugely popular in Taiwan, India, Myanmar and other parts of Asia.

"The more beautiful you are, the more money you can make," she says. "That's why I dress like this."

 

Deadly and addictive

Anger in Taiwan over 'Chinese Taipei' Olympics moniker

But the anthem that played for the first Taiwanese athlete to ever win gold -- she won gold at the 2004 Olympics in the lightweight taekwondo competition -- was not the one Chen heard growing up, nor was the flag in front of her the red and blue of Taiwan.

Instead, Chen stood under the white banner of "Chinese Taipei," a nation that does not exist, the result of a political compromise stemming from divisions that have existed since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

Taiwan ATMs 'robbed of $2.5m by European hackers'

A network of criminals from eastern Europe and Russia used malware to hack into dozens of First Commercial Bank ATMs, police say.

CCTV footage shows masked thieves walking away with bags of stolen cash.

One Latvian man was held in northeast Taiwan, while two other suspects were arrested in the capital Taipei.

More than half of the money has been recovered but another 13 suspects are believed to have fled the country.

 

Bags of cash

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'Like a bomb's gone off:' Super Typhoon Nepartak slams Taiwan

  So far, one death and about 66 injuries have been reported by the Taiwan Central Emergency Operations Center as the typhoon packed winds of up to 240 kph (150 mph).

The storm hammered the eastern coast of Taiwan with torrential rain and wind for several hours prior to arrival, with photos on social media showing cars destroyed by the onslaught.

Some locations have already seen more than 300 mm of rain in just the past 12 hours, while conditions are expected to worsen across central and southern Taiwan for another 12 hours.

Taiwan Quake: 132 Trapped In Tower Block

Officials believe it will be possible to easily reach 29 of those trapped - while another 103 are buried deeper within the crumpled 17-storey building.

Acoustic equipment and sniffer dogs are being used to look for signs of life.

Twelve people - including a newborn baby girl - have been confirmed dead after a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck at about 4am on Saturday.

Deadly earthquake topples buildings in Taiwan city of Tainan

Rescue teams have been trying to reach people trapped in rubble since the magnitude 6.4 quake struck just before 04:00 (20:00 GMT Friday).

A baby was among the dead when a high-rise residential block collapsed. At least 155 people were injured.

President Ma Ying-jeou promised an "all-out effort" to rescue people when he arrived in the city.

Shelters would be set up for those who had lost their homes in the city of two million people, he said.

EU lifts yellow card on PNG

At the same time, the Commission is lifting the yellow cards from Ghana and Papua New Guinea, which have significantly reformed their fisheries governance system

The Commission also adopted a Communication on the key achievements of the IUU Regulation in the first five years of its enforcement.