SOCIETY
Canada D’eh set for June 27
The 2009 annual Canada D’eh Beach Party will be held on Saturday, June 27, at Shalun (沙崙) Beach near Tamsui (淡水) from noon to midnight, rain or shine. This year, along with fireworks, games, drinks and food, Grammy nominee Colby O’Donis will be among the musicians providing live entertainment. Tickets range from NT$450 for a single adult to NT$950 for family pack of two adults and two children and are on sale now. More information is available at www.canadiansociety.org.tw. Meanwhile, the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei and the Taichung City Government are inviting everyone to take part in a series of events from June 30 to July 5 in Taichung in celebration of Canada Day. The week-long series will feature an environmental film festival at the National Museum of Art, a street festival and a Canada Food Promotion. Details are available on the trade office’s Web site (www.canada.org.tw) or by calling (02) 2544-3000.
SOCIETY
Buddy Bear arrives from Germany
Taiwan received its own Buddy Bear from Germany last Saturday via the German Institute. With help from students at Fengshan and Fengshin high schools in Kaoshiung and the German School in Taipei, the bear was painted and given its own unique look on Saturday. The life-sized fiberglass sculpture will make an appearance on June 27 at the Taipei Film Festival, as the festival’s theme this year is Berlin, the institute said. The bear will go on tour next month and in September to coincide with the World Games in Kaoshiung and the Deaflympics in Taipei, it said. The institute is holding a competition to name the bear. Suggestions can be sent to the institute before Oct. 3. Nearly 1,300 Buddy Bears have been sent from Germany all over the world. More information on the bear-naming contect is available on the institute’s Web site at www.taipei.diplo.de.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
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