■ POLITICS
TSU challenges singer
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) named its own legislative candidate for Taipei County's Sanchung City to fight it out with a candidate from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The TSU's Deputy Secretary-General Liu Yi-teh (劉一德) was named by the party's Central Executive Committee to run in Sanchung after the DPP decided to ask -- Yu Tian (余天), a 60-year-old singer -- to vie for the seat. Liu will now be pitted against Yu and the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) candidate, Chu Chun-hsiao (朱俊嘵), the incumbent legislator. TSU spokeswoman Chou Mei-li (周美里) deplored the DPP's failure to respond to the TSU's suggestion that the two parties jointly present one candidate after negotiations. Liu said he was surprised that the DPP chose a singer with no past connection to the party to run for the seat. "I liked Yu Tian's singing, but he is totally irrelevant to the legislative election. His contribution to Taiwan's democracy movement is almost nil," Liu said. Liu expressed confidence that, with his 30 years of devotion to Taiwan's democracy movement, he is in a favorable position to compete with Yu in the election scheduled for Jan. 12, next year.
■ POLITICS
Confirmation votes set
Lawmakers scheduled confirmation votes yesterday for President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) nominations for auditor-general of the Ministry of Audit, Judicial Yuan president, Judicial Yuan vice president and members of the Council of Grand Justices for Sept. 14. The new legislative session start on Friday. Caucus whips met yesterday to negotiate the agenda for confirmation matters. They decided to have a plenary session for a question-and-answer meeting with the Ministry of Audit's auditor-general candidate Lin Ching-lung (林慶隆) next Tuesday and a two-day plenary session for a question-and-answer meeting with the candidate for Judicial Yuan president, Lai Ying-jaw (賴英照), and the candidates for grand justices on the following days. The weekly question-and-answer sessions with Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) will begin on Sept. 18, when Chang will brief lawmakers on his administration's policies.
■ Transportation
THSR to increase trains
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSR) announced yesterday that it would increase the number of southbound and northbound daily trains to 91 next Friday. THSR officials also said that passengers can book regular and group tickets for the added trains starting today and new schedules will be available at station information desks on Thursday. The THSR also announced it has cooperated with an international credit card company to provide contactless credit card payment services at the ticketing counter at each station. Passengers can now pay for their tickets using their contactless credit cards.
■ SOCIETY
Kaohsiung loses bid
Kaohsiung lost its bid to host the Asia-Pacific Cities Summit 2009, delegates to this year's summit in Brisbane, Australia, said yesterday. A press release issued by the city quoted Deputy Mayor Cheng Wen-lon (鄭文龍), leader of the five-member delegation, as saying Incheon, South Korea, won the most votes at the end of the four-day Brisbane meeting and so will host the 2009 meet. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) said her administration would endeavor to enhance the city's profile by playing host to other international activities. The biannual Asia-Pacific City Summit provides a forum for regional leaders to discuss urban problems.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
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