Some 4,000 Kiwani club members from around the world descended on Taipei yesterday for their 86th annual convention, beginning with a carnival at the plaza in front of the Taipei City Hall.
That event -- organized by the ROC Kiwanis club -- offered a dragon dance in addition to other folk entertainment.
According to the head of the ROC Kiwanis club, Wu Hui-wan (
Wu said she hoped the three-day conference will offer international members the opportunity to experience the unique culture of Taiwan.
Later last night, President Chen Shui-bian (
Tonight the ROC Kiwanis club will also hold a dinner party at a Taipei hotel in honor of those people whose efforts in past few months helped bring about Taiwan's hosting of the international conference.
Featured guests who will speak at the event include the chairman of the People First Party, James Soong (宋楚瑜), DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and director of the KMT's Organization and Development Committee, Chao Shou-po (趙守博).
Founded in 1915 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, Kiwanis International is an association of men and women committed to volunteer service, charity in their communities and pooling their resources to address worldwide issues.
Boasting more than 600,000 members in 76 countries, they are best know for their contributions to eye care and their focus on children's issues.
Members are said to be professional business people who proclaim to have both the desire and the ability to serve their community.
According to the Kiwanis International, affiliates invest more than 5.7 million hours and US$135 million in communities around the world each year.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source