■ CHARITY
Tzu Chi helps blaze victims
The Tzu Chi Buddhist Compassionate Relief Foundation has twice this month airlifted blankets and other relief goods to the Philippines to help victims of a disastrous fire that occurred in a slum near Manila earlier this month, a Tzu Chi official said yesterday. Tzu Chi airlifted 2,000 blankets to the Philippines last Thursday. Transportation was provided free of charge thanks to the chairman of Philippine Airlines, Lucio Tan, who is a Tzu Chi volunteer, the Tzu Chi official said. Tzu Chi sent another batch of 3,000 blankets and 5,000 packs of first-aid and relief goods to Manila last Saturday, again free of charge thanks to Tan. The fire left more than 3,000 people homeless, Tzu Chi said.
■ ENVIRONMENT
Lights out at schools
Lights at the nation's government offices and at schools were turned off for one hour yesterday to mark Earth Day. At the suggestion of the Cabinet, lights at many government offices and schools were turned off between 12pm and 1pm to save energy and cut down on carbon dioxide emissions. The government issued the "lights out" order for the internationally recognized day in response to a call from 17 Taiwanese civic groups. The groups also urged that lights in the world's tallest building -- the 508m Taipei 101 -- be turned off briefly in a symbolic gesture. Taipei 101's lights will be turned off next month as part of another energy-saving campaign.
■ DEFENSE
Wan-an Exercise in Taitung
The annual Wan-an Exercise will be carried out in Taitung County from 8pm to 8:30pm on May 3. The Wan-an Exercise is an air raid drill that is usually carried out between April and June in different locations around the country. The Ministry of National Defense reminded the public that all vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be suspended during the 30-minute exercise. All indoor and outdoor lights must also be switched off. Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞) will be the convener for the exercise. The exercise will be a good chance for the county government officials to practice and simulate related procedures, she said.
■ POLITICS
TSU criticizes Lee verdict
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus yesterday said the Supreme Court's ruling against former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in a defamation lawsuit was too severe. People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) had filed the lawsuit and the Taipei District Court ruled in November 2005 that Lee should pay Soong NT$10 million (US$300,000) in compensation and run apologies in nine newspapers. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Taiwan High Court's ruling that Lee, seen by TSU members as the party's spiritual leader, should apologize to Soong and compensate him for defamation. The ruling said Lee insinuated in a speech in 2004 that Soong was playing mahjong with friends on April 10, 2004, while his followers fought police after President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) re-election. The Supreme Court ruled Lee should run apologies in three newspapers for a day and pay Soong NT$2 million. "The verdict was severe because Lee did not specify who he was talking about [in his speech]," TSU caucus whip Tseng Tsahn-deng (曾燦燈) said. PFP Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), on the other hand, yesterday lauded the ruling, calling it "belated justice."
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
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
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