■ Athletics
Taiwan nabs gold, bronze
Two university students won Taiwan its first medals -- a gold and a bronze -- yesterday in the 2005 World University Games, also known as the Universiade, in Izmir, Turkey. Huang Yi-hsue (黃怡學), 23, a graduate student at the National College of Physical Education and Sports, won the gold medal in the men's vault. It was the first medal win for Taiwan at this year's games, and the first ever Universiade gold medal for a Taiwanese. Lin Hsiang-wei (林祥威), 20, from National Taiwan Normal University, took the bronze in the men's pommel horse.
■ Diplomacy
AIT staff to visit Taichung
Representatives of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) will be in Taichung on Aug. 24 to provide consular services to US citizens in the area. Americans wishing to file applications for passports or to add pages to their passports, and all persons requiring the services of a notary public for US purposes, can go to the American Corner located in the National Taichung Library at 291-3 Jingwu Rd, Taichung, from 9am to 11am. Further information can be obtained by contacting AIT's Taipei office at (02) 2162-2000, ext. 2306. More information about the fees for different services can be found on AIT's Web site (www.ait.org.tw/en/uscitizens/).
■ Politics
New Party trio joins KMT
Three New Party legislators -- Fei Hung-tai (費鴻泰), Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) and Joanna Lei (雷倩) -- joined the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday in a step toward a merger of the two parties ahead of the 2008 presidential elections. "Hopefully the three outstanding legislators can give the KMT a new lease on life in reforms," New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明) said. The New Party plans to integrate with the KMT in order to strengthen the pan-blue camp's chances in the 2008 elections. Yok, however, would not say when the merger would take place.
■ Diplomacy
Australia to maintain ban
The Australian government has rejected President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) recent request to lift its 33-year ban on visits by Taiwanese leaders, according to a report in the Australian newspaper yesterday. "We will just stick with the policy Australia has had since 1972," the paper quoted Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer as saying. As for Chen's call for Australia's support in Taiwan's bid to gain admittance to the APEC leaders' summit to be held in South Korea in November, Downer said only that it was a "matter for the Koreans," as the summit's hosts. Green Party Senator Bob Brown said that keeping leaders of "this nearby democracy" from visiting Australia "would be an affront to Australia's own democratic values."
■ Food
Hsieh urges scallion boycott
Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday urged the public to go on strike against the high price of green onions. "If everyone stops eating green onions for three days, I believe that the price will drop to NT$10 per kilogram," he said. Hsieh said that consumers must stay united to fight against unreasonably high prices. "We will not die if we do not eat green onions, will we?" he said. Taiwan's production of green onions has been seriously impacted since three typhoons recently hit the country. The price of green onions peaked at NT$400 per kilogram two weeks ago, but the average market price remains around NT$280 per kilogram.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
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