Taipei

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Meet Taipei's Newest 'Dream Ingredient'

This 14-legged giant isopod atop ramen noodles has spurred a waiting list at Taiwan eatery

(Newser) - "Would you eat this?" is the question posed by the South China Morning Post on a new delicacy making headlines out of Taipei. But while Americans may feel squeamish at the prospect of scarfing down on what The Ramen Boy calls its "dream ingredient," locals are clamoring...

Couple Weds 4 Times, Divorces 3 Times, in 37 Days

Taiwan newlyweds accused of trying to milk nation's policy for paid marriage leave

(Newser) - A couple in Taiwan stayed quite busy during the early days of the pandemic, getting married four times and filing for three divorces between April 6 and May 12 of last year. The reason, according to public records from the groom's employer, a Taipei bank: The newlyweds were trying...

Very Few Big Events Are Happening. Here, a Huge March

LGBT rally takes place in Taipei, Taiwan, where COVID has been kept at bay

(Newser) - A huge and festive crowd marched in Taiwan's capital on Saturday in an annual LGBT Pride event. Turnout was down from last year, but organizers said it still topped 100,000 on a mostly sunny day in Taipei. Many participants didn't wear protective masks, but others did, some...

Roommate Ate Her $2 Yogurt. She Used DNA to Find Culprit

Definitely a reasonable reaction

(Newser) - You'll likely look more kindly upon even the most passive-aggressive roommate after reading this story out of Taiwan. A female student at Taipei's Chinese Culture University didn't resort to an angry fridge note after discovering one of her yogurt-drink containers empty in the trash of the home...

Reports of Panda's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

And he's got the newspapers to prove it

(Newser) - The Taipei Zoo is offering a "proof of life" photo in an attempt to debunk rumors that a prized panda died recently, the AP reports. Photos released by the zoo this week show 11-year-old Tuan Tuan looking at newspapers laid out in front of his inner enclosure to prove...

Kid Trips Into $1.5M Painting
 Kid Trips Into 
 $1.5M Painting 
VIRAL VIDEO

Kid Trips Into $1.5M Painting

The only Paolo Porpora artwork that's signed now has a fist-size hole in it

(Newser) - Elsewhere in the world, terrorists threaten art and antiquities , but in Taiwan tween boys holding beverages are the threat. A 12-year-old taking a guided tour with his mom at an art exhibit in Taipei lived out what was probably his (and his mother's) worst nightmare when he tripped next...

Dad Goes With Gut, Saves Family in Taipei Crash

Lin Ming-wei moved family to right side of plane after hearing noise

(Newser) - Lin Ming-wei says he owes his life, and that of his family, to a last-minute decision to switch seats aboard the TransAsia plane that crashed yesterday in Taipei, killing at least 31 people. Just before takeoff, Lin says he heard an odd noise that unsettled him, and he asked for...

Taiwan Hosts Asia's Largest Gay Pride Parade

March comes as island considers same-sex marriage

(Newser) - Tens of thousands of people marched in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei today, as part of the city's annual gay pride parade. The largest parade of its kind in Asia, the event doubled as a demonstration in support of same-sex marriage legislation currently being debated by the island's...

Australia Welcomes 2013
 Happy New Year, World 
UPDATED

Happy New Year, World

It's 2013 somewhere

(Newser) - It's already 2013 somewhere! Australia of course rang in the New Year first, with a typically brilliant firework display over Sydney Harbour at around 8am East Coast time. Since then, revelers have rung in 2013 across Asia, with notable celebrations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Kuala Lampur, and more....

Taiwan Panda Keepers Seek Love Doc's Advice

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, expert counsels

(Newser) - Ahead of breeding season in February, the Taipei Zoo is soliciting expert advice for getting its two giant pandas in the mood. A researcher dispatched from their native China found Tuan Tuan and Yuan Yuan—presented last year as a symbol of thawing relations between the countries—just a little...

Asian Stocks Hit 7-Month High
 Asian Stocks Hit 7-Month High 
MARKETS

Asian Stocks Hit 7-Month High

Taipei leads region's markets on another bullish day

(Newser) - Asian stocks hit a 7-month high today as investors put aside swine flu fears and and seized on good news from China. In Taiwan the main index soared 5.6%, its second straight major gain, while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng index closed up 5.5%. European markets started...

Historic Talks Bring China, Taiwan Closer Than Ever

First high-level talks since 1949 yield trade agreements amid opposition protests

(Newser) - The first high-level talks between China and Taiwan in 60 years have set aside politics in favor of building trade ties, Reuters reports. Negotiations in Taipei sidestepped the sovereignty question and yielded 13 agreements to triple the number of cross-strait flights, allow direct cargo shipments, improve food safety, and normalize...

Historic China-Taiwan Flights Take Off

Tourists visit old nationalist stronghold

(Newser) - Commercial flights between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan resumed today for the first time in 60 years, with simultaneous flights landing at  the Taipei and Shanghai airports, the BBC reports. China Southern Airline's chairman described the first flight to land in Taipei as "a sacred moment." The agreement...

Taiwanese Nationalists Win Big
Taiwanese Nationalists Win Big

Taiwanese Nationalists Win Big

Party seeks reunification, while independence-seeking president reels from results

(Newser) - Taiwan’s China-friendly opposition party dominated parliamentary elections today, the BBC reports, dealing a blow to the hard-line president 2 months before his own poll. The KMT, which supports closer ties with Beijing, trounced the ruling DPP, winning 72% of the seats in the 113-seat chamber. President Chen Shui-bian, resigning...

Taiwan Sits Out Olympic Torch Relay Over China Tiff

Stop in Taipei canceled thanks to disagreement with China

(Newser) - Add the Olympic torch route to the list of things China and Taiwan can’t agree on. After a month of debate, officials have canceled a stop in Taipei because the sides could not agree on the route, or the use of Taiwan’s national anthem and flag. Beijing said...

Jet Catches Fire in Japan; Passengers, Crew Escape

Plane's engine exploded; cause unknown

(Newser) - A jet burst into flames after landing in Okinawa today, moments after all 165 people onboard escaped. The China Airlines plane skidded while landing on arrival from Taipei, and its left engine exploded shortly afterward. The cause of the fire is unknown, the AP reports. Firefighters took an hour to...

US Opposes Taiwan's Missiles
US Opposes Taiwan's Missiles

US Opposes Taiwan's Missiles

Diplomats concerned about further escalation with mainland

(Newser) - As Taiwan threatens to go on the offense against China, the U.S. is wincing at the island's growing arsenal. Last month Taipei announced a missile program to hit Chinese sites, to the candid disapproval of Steven Young, the top American diplomat there. "The focus should be on defensive...

17 Stories