■ Weather
Storm likely to miss Taiwan
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines was upgraded to the first tropical storm of the season in the western Pacific and given the name Kurija, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. The bureau said Kurija was unlikely to hit Taiwan, however, because it has been moving east-northeast at 13kph with its speed expected to increase to 17kph in the next few days. The bureau said that Kurija was located at sea about 440km east of Manila as of 4:30pm yesterday. The storm had a 150km radius, with maximum sustained winds of 23m per second, or 83kph, and gusts up to 30m per second, or about 108kph. The bureau forecast that Kurija would be about 760km east of Manila at 2pm today.
■ DIPLOMACY
Groups sends Japan regards
Former Judicial Yuan vice president Cheng Chung-mo (城仲模) yesterday said that today he would lead a number of independence advocates to the Taipei office of Japan’s Interchange Association — Japan’s de facto embassy in Taiwan — and send their regards to the Japanese representative over his recent comment that Taiwan’s status is unresolved. Masaki Saito on Friday said Taiwan’s status was “still unresolved.” He later apologized for the remarks after Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Hsia (夏立言) lodged a protest and demanded an explanation. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers also charged that Japan should recall Saito. Cheng, who doubles as the chairperson for Friends of Lee Teng-Hui Association Formosa, said the association welcomed Saito’s comments about Taiwan. “The Japanese government told the truth that Taiwan’s status is not resolved, and the government and Masaki need not apologize,” said secretary-general of the association, Roger Lin (林志昇).
■ SOCIETY
Call opens for Miss Taiwan
The Miss Taiwan Foundation announced yesterday it had started accepting applications for this year’s Miss Taiwan contest and will continue accepting them up to June 18. Miss Teen Taiwan applications will be accepted up to July 22. Foundation chairman Jack Liu (劉日興) said the event was to enhance cultural exchanges between Taiwan and other countries, as well as promote Taiwanese culture globally. This year’s Miss Taiwan contest will take place at the Culture Center for Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Los Angeles on July 18, while the Miss Teen Taiwan contest will be held at the same location on Aug. 22. Those who are interested in applying for Miss Taiwan must be between 17 and 30 years old. At least one of an applicant’s parents must be a Taiwanese national to take part in either contest. For detailed information, visit the event organizer’s Web site at www.misstaiwan.org.
■ SOCIETY
Suicide delays MRT
A woman jumped to her death at a mass rapid transit (MRT) stop in Taipei yesterday morning, disrupting the system for nearly three hours. The incident happened at 10:45am when a woman jumped on the tracks as the train was pulling into Zhongxiao Dunhua Station. Although the driver activated the emergency brakes, the woman was trapped underneath the train. She showed no signs of life when paramedics arrived. The system resumed service at 12:26pm. Authorities are still investigating the incident.
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