Read News 109.12.25 Global Focus and Trending Topics

December 25, 2020 (ROC year 109), a daily real-time online roundup of trending global news topics, covering technology, life, travel, transportation, industry and finance, business, corporations, stocks, foreign exchange markets, investment, real estate, automobiles, breaking news, art, design, politics, society, Taiwan, mainland China, cross-strait relations, weather, natural disasters, current affairs, and many other aspects.

The “Read News” section collects the headline events and brief summaries of the most important key news from around the world that deserve your attention in recent days, revealing the trajectory of social trends through the flow of quickly listed news events.

Global Focus Topics on December 25, 2020

• International and Social Focus
• Science and Technology
• Business and Investment
• Nature and Medicine
• Travel and Leisure

International and Social Focus

Tuan Yi-kang blasts DPP legislators who defected on ractopamine pork vote as traitors, tells ruling team not to take insults lying down: The Legislative Yuan plenary session yesterday held votes on ractopamine pork-related amendments and administrative orders. DPP legislators Lin Shu-fen, Liu Chien-kuo, and Chiang Yung-chang defected. Former DPP legislator Tuan Yi-kang said this is not a matter of discipline and unity; openly questioning the ruling team’s sincerity and ability to safeguard people’s health is the key.

DPP legislator Wang Mei-hui weeps in sadness over party colleagues defecting on ractopamine pork vote: The Legislative Yuan yesterday (the 25th) handled 9 administrative orders concerning the import of ractopamine-containing US pork and US beef from cattle over 30 months old into Taiwan. The DPP, leveraging its majority in the legislature, rejected the opposition’s proposals, and all 9 administrative orders passed. The atmosphere at the DPP caucus meeting in the morning was “very unusual,” with DPP legislators under great pressure, demanding the caucus severely punish defectors. After entering the chamber to vote, it was found that some still abstained, and DPP legislators kept going to protest to DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming, with some even threatening, “Otherwise I’ll just fine myself NT$100,000, and I won’t vote either.”

Ractopamine pork passes! Restaurant says “using Taiwanese pork means raising prices” — netizens mock: what meat did you use before: Ractopamine pork imports will open on January 1 next year. Yesterday (the 24th), the Legislative Yuan passed 9 administrative orders. After the news came out, many shops and stores came forward to declare they would not use or import ractopamine pork. In response, some netizens noticed that a certain Thai restaurant claimed to “use Taiwanese pork” and therefore decided to raise prices, prompting many to mock, “So what pork did you use before?”

Trump pardons murderers, UN condemns: After a large-scale pardon and commutation of 20 people the previous day, US President Trump again generously gave Christmas gifts on the 23rd, pardoning 26 people including his son-in-law Kushner’s father Charles, former campaign manager Manafort involved in Russiagate, and former political adviser Stone, and also commuted the sentences of 3 others. Regarding the first wave of pardons, which included 4 Blackwater government contractors who shot and killed Iraqi civilians, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights harshly criticized that pardons amount to encouraging others to commit similar crimes.

Elected dictatorship, new DPP authority: Tsai Ing-wen on the cover of the latest issue of “Asia Weekly”: “Asia Weekly” published the cover of its latest issue on Facebook, showing President Tsai Ing-wen wearing a dragon robe, with the title “Behind Taiwan’s Elected Dictatorship: The New DPP Authoritarianism Phenomenon.” The cover feature used events such as the “Anti-Infiltration Act,” the non-renewal of CTi News’s license and “investigations,” and the internet troll phenomenon as examples, plus interviews with political figures including DPP founding elders and scholars, analyzing that Tsai Ing-wen’s governance has gradually leaned toward dictatorship, becoming a new authoritarian leader.

Tsai Ing-wen’s cousin’s husband Wu Ming-hung takes over as President of the Supreme Administrative Court: Lan Hsien-lin, President of the Supreme Administrative Court, one of the “three final appeals courts,” will retire. The President today specially appointed Supreme Administrative Court judge and division chief Wu Ming-hung (husband of President Tsai Ing-wen’s cousin Lin Mei-chu) to succeed him, effective December 31.

Hsinchu City suddenly announces postponement of digital ID trial: The new digital ID is expected to launch next year. The Hsinchu City Government, chosen as the trial site, announced on the 25th that due to receiving many opinions from citizens and expert groups, it leans toward postponing the trial. In response, the Ministry of the Interior said the digital ID will undergo sufficient testing before launching a small-scale trial, and it will continue to communicate with the Hsinchu City Government.

Legislative Yuan passes third reading: Civil Code adulthood lowered to 18, effective in ROC year 112: Civil groups have advocated for years, hoping to lower the Civil Code’s age of adulthood from the current 20 to 18. Legislators from both ruling and opposition parties also separately proposed amendment versions, echoing social expectations.

Su Wei-shuo petitions the Control Yuan over “government abuse of power” — Chen Chu: What immediate persecution is there?: Former Tainan County Magistrate Su Huan-chih said he had previously served as chairman of the Taiwan Association for Human Rights, when the then secretary-general was the current Control Yuan President Chen Chu. If the case of Su Wei-shuo being investigated had happened 30 years ago, the Taiwan Association for Human Rights and Chen Chu would certainly have come out to lead protests. Now, 30 years later, although there is a human rights association, this institution is like a deity — call it and there’s no response, petition it and there’s no reply. It’s disappointing.

Science and Technology

Kagawa high school student’s lawsuit over game restrictions being unconstitutional goes to court: A high school boy (18) in Takamatsu City, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan, and his mother believe that the prefecture’s “Ordinance on Measures against Internet and Gaming Addiction,” which restricts children’s gaming time, violates the right to pursue happiness guaranteed by Article 13 of the Constitution and is unconstitutional, causing them mental suffering, and are seeking a total of 1.6 million yen (about 100,000 RMB) in damages from the prefectural government. The ordinance standard states that children under 18 should not play games for more than 60 minutes per day (90 minutes on school holidays), and the latest smartphone use time is 9 PM for junior high school students and below, and 10 PM for others, with parents obligated to make efforts to set rules and have children follow them.

Testing the extended-range Tien Kung III? NCSIST test-fires missiles in eastern Taiwan tonight: Missiles were simultaneously launched from the Jiupeng Base in Pingtung and the coast of Chenggong Township, Taitung. The danger zone extends from Jiupeng outward to the sea, north to the waters off Hualien and east to the waters off Orchid Island, all exceeding 160 kilometers. The trajectory