■ Society
Sexy vegetarian sought
What do Taiwanese singer Elva Hsiao (蕭亞軒), Filipino model Isabel Roces and Hong Kong actress Maggie Q have in common? They don't eat meat and they're vying to be the world's sexiest vegetarian. The stars are among many others from the region competing in the contest organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. Taiwan had two more entries -- actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) and singer Meng Ting-wei (孟庭葦). But stars in the hugely popular TV dramas from barbecue-loving South Korea were conspicuously absent from the list. Hollywood actresses in the race included Alicia Silverstone, Reese Witherspoon and Natalie Portman. The meatless men included Alec Baldwin, Paul McCartney, Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Harrelson. To vote in the PETA contest: www.peta.org/feat/sexyveg05/.
■ Agriculture
Flood damages hit US$68m
Agricultural losses caused by torrential rains over the past week have hit NT$2.14 billion (US$68.38 million) as of 11am yesterday, according to the Council of Agriculture (COA). Tallies released by the COA show that more than 42,802 hectares of agricultural land, mainly rice paddies and vegetable fields, have been damaged or destroyed in central and southern Taiwan in the downpours which have dumped more than 1,000mm of rainfall on some areas. Many fisheries in Pingtung, Kaohsiung, Tainan and Chiayi were also heavily damaged or destroyed, while large numbers of livestock have died in the flooding. The COA said it is providing financial assistance to farmers who have suffered serious damage to their land and crops in areas hit by flooding and is offering soft loans to those who have suffered minor losses.
■ Society
Man jumps in front of train
A 60-something elderly man, identified by his last name Wang, was killed by intentionally jumping in front of a train at 8:08am yesterday at Yuanshan MRT station. Wang was fatally injured and when the ambulance arrived, he showed no signs of life, the police said. The MRT's Danshui Line was temporarily interrupted and the line did not begin to operate until after 10:24am. Meantime, the transportation between Shilin and Minquan W Road station was substituted by buses. The Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation's surveillance video showed Wang lingering in the station, before jumping down and being hit by a southbound train. A student who witnessed the incident immediately reported it to MRT personnel. The report said that the train attempted to make an emergency stop, but that it was too late to prevent the tragedy from happening.
■ Diplomacy
New center opens in US
Taiwan's representative office in the US will have a new cultural center to serve Taiwanese expatriates in the greater Washington area. The new facility, located in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Maryland, was to be formally inaugurated yesterday. David Lee (李大維), the top Taiwanese representative to the US, and Chang Fu-mei (張富美), chairwoman of the Overseas Chinese Affairs Commission, will jointly preside over the inauguration ceremony. The new cultural center has a large auditorium capable of accommodating an audience of 500, as well as conference rooms, a library, show rooms, classrooms and other facilities. Construction began in February last year and was completed earlier this month.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese