■ APEC
Taiwanese initiative adopted
The government's policy of helping elderly or retired women to restart their careers with government-sponsored low-interest loans was included in the Chiang Mai Declaration adopted at the closing of the APEC forum's 8th Women Leaders' Network Meeting. National Youth Commission Chair-woman Lin Fang-mei (林芳玫) led a 14-member delegation to the four-day meeting in Thailand that ended on Sunday. She said her delegation spelled out the career-restarting plan for elderly women and other participants decided to have it included in the declaration to be forwarded to the APEC Summit in October for adoption. Under the plan retirees could receive government assistance in securing low-interest loans of up to NT$1 million (US$28,900) to restart their careers.
■ Police
Team wins more medals
Taiwanese police officers grabbed one more gold and two bronze medals on Sunday on the final day of the 2003 World Police and Fire Games, to bring their total to 29 gold, 18 silver and 15 bronze medals in eight events in Barcelona, Spain, officials of the National Police Administration said yesterday. Wang Chin-wen (王清文) won the gold in the men's over-30 singles badminton competition, while Lin Youn-long (林永隆), took the bronze, they said. Wang and Lin also grabbed the bronze in men's open doubles badminton. Several groups in Barcelona, including the Taiwanese Association, the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce and the Chinese Women's Association, held a party for the team to celebrate the end of the games. The team is scheduled to return home tomorrow.
■ Health
Warning of flu in HK
A Taipei City health official warned yesterday that people planning a trip to Hong Kong should be aware of the increased incident of flu in the territory. Bureau of Health interim director Chiu Chan-hsien (邱展賢) said there has been an increase in flu cases in Hong Kong since June. Chiu said July and August are generally peak times for flu in the territory. Chiu urged people visiting Hong Kong to avoid congested places, wash their hands frequently or wear a surgical mask if they feel it is warranted.
■ Health
Ma leaves for Singapore
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) left for a three-day visit to Singapore yesterday to learn more about how the city-state battled SARS. Ma will join four Taipei City Council members and other high-ranking city officials already in Singapore, inclu-ding Deputy Mayor Ou Chin-der (歐晉德) and directors from the Health Bureau, the Fire Department and the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission. The delegation will return home on Thursday.
■ Politics
New alliance to be formed
Peacetime Foundation of Taiwan chief executive officer Chien Hsi-chieh yesterday said that a "pan-purple alliance" of minority and social groups would be formed Sunday to speak for ordinary citizens. "The alliance will not be a political party, and it will focus on the pursuit of a fair and justified welfare state, and speak for minority groups," Chien said. So far participating groups include the National Teachers' Association, the Alliance for Handicapped People and the Parents' Association for Persons with Intellectual Disability.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition