■ DEFENSE
Air show canceled
The Air Force yesterday decided to reschedule an air show at its Sungshan Command Headquarters from Sunday to Sept. 2 because of the approach of Typhoon Sepat. The Air Force said that the open house activity and the air show activities will be rescheduled to Sept. 2 at the same place and the same time. An activity at Taichung's Chingchunkang Base tomorrow will be rescheduled to Aug. 26.
■ JUDICIARY
Justices to be named
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is likely to nominate Yang Jen-shou (楊仁壽), head of the Commission on the Disciplinary Sanctions of Functionaries, to replace Weng Yueh-sheng (翁岳生) as president of the Judicial Yuan. Weng is retiring, an anonymous source from the legislature said yesterday. A high-ranking official in the legislature said that Chen would submit a list of eight nominees for the Council of Grand Justices to the legislature for confirmation by Tuesday, to succeed the eight justices whose terms of office will expire at the end of next month, including Weng.
■ TRAVEL
Licenses accepted in Japan
The Japanese Cabinet approved on Wednesday an amendment to its traffic laws that recognizes Taiwanese drivers' licenses. Holders of Taiwanese drivers' licenses will be able to drive on roads in Japan starting on Sept. 19, a Taiwanese official stationed in Tokyo said yesterday. The goodwill measure adopted by the Japanese government follows its granting of 90-day visa-free visits for Taiwanese tourists in September 2005. The official said Taiwan's government would recognize Japanese drivers' licenses soon as a reciprocal gesture. Under the new Japanese regulations, a translated certificate should be attached to the drivers' licenses. According to reports, travel service operators in Hokkaido had made great efforts to persuade the Japanese government to recognize Taiwanese licenses.
■ POLITICS
Official's election annulled
The head of a Kaohsiung County township who was elected in December 2005 will be relieved of his position after the Kaohsiung branch of the Taiwan High Court annulled his election on Wednesday. Lin June-tsung (林榮宗), head of Niaosung Township (鳥松) and a member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), slammed the court ruling, but said he had no choice but to accept the decision, which is final. Lin assumed office on March 1 last year. The Kaohsiung District Court found Lin guilty of vote-buying in a criminal suit in June last year. That ruling was overturned by the High Court in May this year, but Lin then lost a civil suit in which he contended that the 27 votes his camp was suspected of buying did not sway the outcome of the election, as he won by 3,034 votes. The High Court rejected that argument.
■ ENVIRONMENT
Housing research under way
Chaoyang University of Technology in Taichung County has launched a project to develop eco-friendly housing, a dean said yesterday. A research team will work on prefabricated houses to cut energy consumption and reduce environmental impact, the dean of the College of Enterprise Innovation said. The team expects to finish the project in one year and hopes to see mass production of the housing design begin shortly afterward.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS