■ Sports
Taiwan wins gold in Athens
Chiang Chih-chung (江志忠), a 24-year-old blind athlete, won a gold medal in the javelin event in the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games yesterday. Chiang, a member of the Bunun tribe, set a world record in his class with a 59.38m throw. It was his second Paralympic gold in the event he won in Syd-ney in 2000 -- but Taiwan's first in Athens.
■ Health
Pesticides found in tea
Several tea producers yesterday agreed to pull some of their products off the shelves after they were found to contain residues of bromopropylate, a Chinese-language newspaper reported. A survey released by the Consumers' Foun-dation found that nine tea products contained bromo-propylate residues. Bromo-propylate is widely used
on vegetables, and fruit
and tea trees to control mites. A spokesperson for Ten Ren Tea said it would remove an oolung tea product from its 67 outlets nationwide. Hsin Tungyang also said it would remove questionable products at its 37 outlets.
■ Culture
U-Theater to go to Africa
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has commissioned the Taipei-based U-Theater troupe to perform in Burkina Faso and Senegal early next month as part of an effort to enhance cultural exchanges with its African allies. The troupe, famous for its drumming, will give two performances in Senegal Oct. 2 and Oct. 3, and another two in Burkina Faso on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9. According to the ministry, the planned activities will celebrate Double Ten Day.
■ Travel
Visa waver mulled for expo
Japan is considering a visa waiver for Taiwanese tourists during the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi Prefecture, a news report said yesterday. According to Jiji Press, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told Cabinet ministers to consider the measure in a bid to attract more visitors from Taiwan. Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said "thorough consideration must be made over relations with China." Koizumi was quoted as saying the move "would help increase overseas tourists, so go ahead and think of what can be done overall, not only in Taiwan." The six-month long expo opens on March 25.
■ Politics
Candidates push racing
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ching-chun (陳景駿) yester-day urged the government
to promote car racing, saying a Formula One race track could be built within five years. Chen said that motor sports could help tourism and help meet the goal of doubling tourist arrivals by 2008. DPP legislative candidate Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬) said that China completed its Shanghai race track in two years and Tai-wan should catch up with China in relation to the motor racing industry, he said.
■ Labor
English seen as job asset
English-language ability has increasingly become a must for job seekers, a recent poll found. According to a survey by the executive research Web site www.104.com.tw, 52 percent of the job placements offered by Taiwanese companies require English ability. As many as 74 percent of the jobs in the computer and telecommunication indus-tries require English, followed by 70 percent in the software and data manage-ment sectors.
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