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Taiwan Quick Take

■ weather
Rainy days expected
Showers are expected in the days ahead as a cold front is forecast to hit the nation this evening, the Central Weather Bureau said. Rains are forecast in the northern, northeastern and eastern regions, as well as in Kinmen (金門), Matsu (馬祖) and Penghu (澎湖). Fog may also occur in the west, and in Kinmen and Matsu today. The effect of the frontal system is expected to be felt till next Wednesday, the bureau said. Temperatures are forecast to drop to a low of 16?C in the north, 17?C in central Taiwan and 18? in southern and eastern Taiwan next week.

■ politics
HK bars MAC official
A leader of an election observation team dispatched by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) was refused entry into Hong Kong yesterday. The team flew to Hong Kong to observe the territory's chief executive election tomorrow. However, Chang Chi-yu (張志宇), a specialist at the council, was barred from entry when the team arrived in Hong Kong. Prior to joining MAC, Chang served at the Chung Hwa Travel Service Hong Kong, Taiwan's representative office in Hong Kong, MAC Vice Chairman Johnnason Liu (劉德勳) said. While Chang had a valid visa when he flew to Hong Kong, Chinese authorities canceled his visa upon arrival, Liu said. Chang returned to Taiwan yesterday.

■ politics
Lu helps school pupils
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) co-chaired a ceremony yesterday celebrating a Presidential Office charity program for underprivileged school children. Speaking at the ceremony, Lu said it was extremely important to take care of the needs of the nation's children and build a positive learning environment for them. The vice president also called on more private companies to join forces with her to help underprivileged school kids.

■ culture
Museum IT network opens
The US-based Museum Computer Network (MCN), a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the cultural aims of museums through the use of computer technologies, opened its Taiwan branch yesterday. A ceremony marking the establishment of MCN in Taiwan was held at the National Science Council yesterday. National Digital Archives Program manager Chen Shu-chun said the new institution would work to promote digitalization of historic and cultural data from the nation's museums and academic institutions, including the National Palace Museum and the Academia Sinica, and assist the facilities in displaying their archives through the use of automation.

■ transportation
MRT plans welcomed
Taichung Deputy Mayor Hsiao Chia-chi (蕭家旗) yesterday said he hoped construction of the green line of the proposed mass rapid transit (MRT) system would be completed quickly to mitigate traffic congestion in the city. The deputy mayor made the remarks after the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced a day earlier that construction of the MRT system would begin in October. Hsiao said that the ministry would begin erecting fences along the MRT routes in October and that the designs for the MRT system would be completed early next year. Construction of the green line, which will link up with a high speed railway station, is scheduled to be completed in 2012.


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