■ Earthquake
Moderate temblor strikes
A moderate earthquake jolted eastern Taiwan yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said, but no damage or injuries were reported. The magnitude 5.3 quake's epicenter was under the Pacific Ocean, about 33km east of the town of Hsilin, Hualien County, according to the bureau.
■ Luncheons
Mayor meets group
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) hosted a luncheon yesterday at the Taipei World Trade Center for several members of the Committee of 100, a high-profile Chinese-American organization, after he was denied a visa by the Hong Kong authorities to attend a meeting on urban development organized by the group. The mayor had been scheduled to present a speech at the Committee of 100's first "Greater China" Conference that will run from Jan. 12 to 14 in Hong Kong until his visa application was rejected. Because of this, he met in Taipei with 19 members of the Committee, including San Francisco-based Unison International chairman C.B. Sung (沈堅白). During the lunch, Ma expressed regret at not being able to meet them in Hong Kong. Although his planned itinerary in Hong Kong did not include any official activities, the authorities refused to open the door for him, he said. He claimed, however, that the incident has drawn "worldwide media attention." He said there are about 89 press reports, including stories in The Asian Wall Street Journal and the South China Morning Post, on the incident.
■ Environment
NASA to help with pollution
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) is set to hold a seminar today on the application of satellite remote sensing technology in atmospheric pollution control. According to EPA officials, the seminar is a cooperative project between the EPA and the US Environmental Protection Agency and is being coordinated by Tsay Si-chee (蔡錫旗), a senior scientist at NASA. In addition to Tsay, who will be one of the keynote speakers, the participants will also include several other US and Australian scientists, the officials said. The EPA has since last year cooperated with the Central Weather Bureau to monitor air pollution by analyzing data from NASA satellites, and satellite technology is especially helpful in the monitoring of cross-border pollution, they said.
■ Politics
Cabinet to avoid controversy
The Executive Yuan yesterday decided to cancel a special report about rectifying the names of all government agencies to "Taiwan" from its weekly agenda in what was seen as a move to avoid causing controversy in the ruling the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) effort to cooperate with the People First Party (PFP). In a bid to make a distinction between Taiwan and China, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in December pledged to rectify the names of all relevant government agencies to "Taiwan" in two years. Premier Yu Shyi-kun threw his backing behind the proposal and requested agencies concerned present a concrete plan by the end of the month. While the DPP is gearing up efforts hoping to cooperate with the PFP in the legislature and the new Cabinet, the initiative is considered as detrimental to such a possibility. A Cabinet official, however, dismissed the speculation, saying that it does not matter whether the premier hears the report today because it is already the government's policy to change the names of government agencies.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
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