WEATHER
Good day to be outside
Those planning to celebrate Double Ten National Day today by spending it outdoors will have relatively good weather thanks to weakening seasonal winds from the northeast, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. However, northern Taiwan could see cloudy weather throughout the day, with drizzle likely in mountainous areas, forecasters said. Temperatures in the region could range from 24?C to 32?C, and the light wind is not expected to affect the main fireworks display in Hsinchu City tonight. Central and southern Taiwan are more likely to experience sunshine and slightly warmer weather, the bureau said. Meanwhile, two tropical depressions that formed near the Philippines and Guam on Tuesday could develop into tropical storms, but they are not likely to affect Taiwan’s weather in the near future, the bureau said.
SPORTS
Cycling festival scheduled
Cycling enthusiasts said yesterday that they are eager to take part in the third annual Taiwan Cycling Festival next month, which is to feature challenges and outdoor activities nationwide. One of the highlights of the festival is to be a 100km stretch of road that climbs 3,275m from sea level to Wuling (武陵), Greater Taichung. However, cyclists will also be able to choose a round-the-island ride, while 11 groups from industry, the public sector and grassroots organizations are expected to depart simultaneously from nine cities over nine days to represent the spirit of moving Taiwan forward. The Nov. 9 to Nov. 17 festival is also to include family activities and travel events so that people from all walks of life can take part, according to the Tourism Bureau, one of the organizers. The aim of the festival is to foster a cycling culture, organizers said.
DIPLOMACY
US official to give speech
Former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director William Stanton will give a speech tomorrow on Taiwan’s strategic importance at the invitation of a foundation set up by former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). Lin Chuan (林全), the chief executive officer of the Little Ing Educational Foundation, said that as a member of the international community, Taiwan has to understand not only the world, but also its role in the world. That is why the foundation invited Richard Koo (辜朝明), an economic adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to speak last month on the challenges of “Abenomics” and why Tsai invited Stanton to speak this month. Lin said Tsai hoped Stanton will share his observations on Taiwan’s role in the international strategic system, based on his professional knowledge of international politics and his wealth of political experience.
CULTURE
Film event draws big names
Some of the biggest names in Chinese-language cinema are set to grace this year’s Golden Horse Film Festival in Taipei, not the least of which is Oscar-winning director Ang Lee (李安). Audiences can look forward to talks by Lee and a host of other big-name directors, including Taiwan’s Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢) and Taiwan-based Malaysian director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), China’s Lou Ye (婁燁) and Jia Zhangke (賈樟柯), and Hong Kong’s Ann Hui (許鞍華), Johnnie To (杜琪峰), Stanley Kwan (關錦鵬) and Peter Chan (陳可辛). Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung (張曼玉), the festival’s “ambassador,” will also speak to the audience about her career. The festival is set to run from Nov. 8 to Nov. 28, according to its executive committee.
TECHNOLOGY
Lighting system developed
A smart lighting system developed by the Institute for Information Industry to illuminate parking lots can help reduce electricity use by 65 percent compared with conventional lighting, the developer said yesterday. Replacing traditional lamps with LED lighting can cut electricity use by 45 percent, and with the smart system, an additional 10 percent to 20 percent can be saved, said Jamie Wang, the project’s manager. In addition to motion sensors and ambient light sensors, the system features an auto mechanism that can adjust the brightness of the lights, she said. Although the cost of the new lights is about twice that of ordinary ones, they can be used for three to five times longer, Wang added.
SPORTS
Ultramarathon on Dec. 7
More than 30 runners from home and abroad will compete in an annual ultramarathon in December in Taipei, in which a Japanese runner will return to seek his ninth win in the event, organizers said yesterday. Now in its 13th year, the Soochow International Ultramarathon Race will see 36 runners from Taiwan and five other countries, including Japan and Italy, competing, officials from Taipei-based Soochow University said at a news conference. Participants in the 24-hour race, to be held at the university’s 400m track on Dec. 7, will include Japan’s Ryoichi Sekiya, 45, who has won eight of the school’s 24-hour events, organizers said. The university will also hold two new events on the day of the race — a 7km run along a road nearby and a five-hour ultramarathon relay. Members of the public are invited to sign up for these events, the organizers said.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all