■SOCIETY
Centenarian numbers grow
The number of centenarians in the country has reached 1,223 as life expectancy in Taiwan continues to increase, a report released yesterday by the Ministry of the Interior showed. The data came from the annual census of centenarians conducted ahead of the Oct. 26 Double Ninth Festival that honors seniors. All citizens born before Dec. 31, 1909 were counted. The census found that 1,135 (92.8 percent) of the centenarians were between 100 and 104 years of age, while 84 were between 105 and 109 and four were 110 or older. The average age was 101.48. Women far outnumbered men: 853 to 370. The oldest centenarian is a 116-year-old woman in Kaohsiung City. A 113-year-old Hualien County man is the second-oldest.
■POLITICS
DPP threatens to sue
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokeswoman Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said yesterday the party would file a lawsuit if Taitung County Commissioner Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) or her former husband, Wu Chun-li (吳俊立), runs in the Taitung legislative by-election. The by-election was called after KMT Legislator Justin Huang (黃健庭) resigned on Thursday to dedicate himself to running in the Taitung County commissioner election. There have been rumors for a while that Huang would step down to leave the seat open for either Kuang or Wu to run in exchange for their supporting his commissioner bid. Kuang had initially insisted on seeking reelection, but just a few days ago threw her support behind Huang. “It would prove that there was a deal between Huang, Wu and Kuang if Wu or Kuang registers to run in the by-election,” Hsiao said. “The DPP will sue it if that happens.”
■SOCIETY
Decision on Centrum soon
Consumers will soon get a clear answer on whether Centrum vitamins are a food or medicine, Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫) said. The Department of Health considers Centrum a medicine because of its high vitamin content. “I will ask the Department of Health to make a decision by the end of this year,” said Chu, who is also chairman of the Consumer Protection Commission. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) has complained that one bottle of Centrum in April costs about three times more in Taiwan than it would in the US.
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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