The Reporter for Kids - Who's in the News?

“It’s so expensive to buy menstrual pads. Will putting toilet paper on the pad make it last longer?”

“Ah! My period is here, but I don’t have any pads… what should I do?”

The Education Ministry began promoting their “friendly provision of diversified sanitary products” policy in August of 2023, which invested over 200 million yuan each year to provide a monthly subsidy of NT$200 for the economically disadvantaged. It also subsidizes high schools and vocational schools to set up a fixed location on campus to distribute a diverse range of sanitary products to students. Reporter for Kids followed up by visiting different campuses and found that while some campuses worked to increase disseminating the products through “group orders” and others have the flexibility to use digital student IDs for students to redeem at convenience stores, others are financially restricted to only providing for the most financially disadvantaged students. For the program to reach more students in a friendly, label-free way it will require creative thinking, and a new approach.

When I was young, I was a good student but very introverted. My family's economic situation was extremely poor, almost equivalent to a low-income household. I had pain I couldn't express, which made my personality both arrogant and insecure.

When I learned that I had muscular dystrophy, my life became a constant battle against a body that deteriorated a little more each day. I tried hard to overcome the inconveniences caused by muscle weakness—figuring out the right angle to put on clothes, discovering the best way to take a step forward. It felt as if someone had cruelly changed the "rules of the game," and before I could adjust, my body would decline further, forcing me to start all over again. The blows came relentlessly, one after another, and countless days of secretly shedding tears drowned out the youthful years of my life.

A country as rainy as Taiwan can catch anyone in a sudden downpour without an umbrella, so when Taipei high school student Yu Cheng-hsi (余承熹) started a shared umbrella project, its popularity resonated throughout not only his school but also the city.

After the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted, a global tourism boom emerged. Countries such as Italy (Venice) and Spain (Valencia) have implemented new tourist taxes in various ways. These measures aim not only to generate substantial tourism revenue but also to control visitor numbers, reduce environmental impacts caused by excessive tourism, and minimize disruptions to the quality of life for local residents. In Taiwan, the island of Xiao Liuqiu, known for its rich marine biodiversity and the highest density of endangered green sea turtles, has introduced a "conservation tourism fee" in three intertidal zones starting in July 2024. Visitors entering these regulated areas must pay a 60 NT entrance fee.

Fifty-nine-year-old Chen Chih-Ming retired five years ago from his position as a court bailiff at the Taiwan High Court Prosecutors' Office. Over his 30-year and 9-month career, his most unique experience was participating in over 100 executions, personally carrying out more than 30. Nearly all of his colleagues retired before the age of 55, some turning to vegetarianism and others left with lingering psychological shadows. Since retiring, Chen has found solace in music, actively joining a choir to find peace. 

On September 21, 1999, at 1:47:15.9 AM, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake, the most powerful in a century, shook all of Taiwan. This earthquake was not only the largest on Taiwan Island in the 20th century, but it also marked the second highest death toll in the history of earthquakes in Taiwan: 2,454 people were killed, and over 100,000 households were destroyed.

Two decades later, Taiwan is still working on rebuilding through disaster prevention policies and regulations, as well as healing from the emotional trauma. Moreover, Taiwan is learning how to coexist peacefully with the densely faulted island. Many people are unaware that the 921 earthquake has enhanced global understanding of seismic observation; due to 921, Taiwan has risen to prominence in international earthquake research and early warning.

The Reporter, through the analysis of experts from the Earthquake Disaster Risk Assessment and Management Research Center at National Central University and researchers from the Institute of Earth Sciences at Academia Sinica, leads readers from the perspective of earth sciences to a deeper understanding of the 921 earthquake, and to learn how to live with earthquakes.

The 2024 Paris Olympics have ignited a summer sports craze. In fact, apart from the Paris Olympics, athletes with disabilities can also participate in their own Olympic competitions, including the Paralympic Games, Special Olympics, and Deaflympics. The competitions provide athletes with a venue for demonstrating their own unmatched competitive abilities and willpower.

At the Tokyo Olympics, Taiwan secured one gold and one silver medal in badminton thanks to the men's doubles "Lin-Yang Pair" made up of Lee Yang (李洋) and Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟), and the women's singles badminton ace Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎). This time, in addition to the Lin-Yang Pair and badminton ace, the men's singles player Chou Tien-chen (周天成) and mixed doubles team of Yeh Hong-wei (葉宏蔚) and Li Chia-Hsin (李佳馨) remain key contenders for Olympic medals. Badminton is being seen by many as Taiwan's "new national sport."

The Paralympic Games will take place following the Summer Olympics, and Taiwan will also have a high-ranking athlete competing, Fang Jen-yu (方振宇), who is currently ranked second in the world. Although his left arm's brachial plexus has been damaged since birth leaving him with just one arm to play with, his lightning-fast speed and powerful strikes have made a significant impact in the sport. At the previous Tokyo Paralympics, where badminton was included for the first time, Fang won fourth place and was honored as the flag bearer for Taiwan at the closing ceremony, garnering plenty of attention.

This year, Fang Jen-yu is making his second attempt at the Paralympics with his sights set directly on the gold medal. "My original dream was that my left hand would recover," he says. Now, using his right hand as a national athlete, Fang Jen-yu no longer views his left hand as a "regret." He motivates himself with the spirit of Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei, who pursued Olympic gold for 12 years without giving up, and considers simply standing on the competition stage as a great victory.

I believe many young people have experienced their first inspiration from watching sports cartoons as kids. When I was eight years old, I watched “Hikaru’s Go” on TV, which started my Go obsession. I decided to become a professional Go player very early. What may set my dream apart, however, is that unlike most who realize their dreams as adults, I achieved my dream at 14 years old. That year, I became a professional Go player through the official channels. Two years later I represented Taiwan for the first time at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.  At that time, I had no idea that becoming a Go professional would mean giving up further education after junior high school, or start a 15 year lifestyle of global travel.