■ Culture
Hakka festival to open
The "Elegant Meinung" festival opens on Oct. 26 with a ceremony in front of Meinung's old township office, including performances and parades staged by local Hakka groups. The festival will be held until Nov. 16, and will close with a second ceremony at the Meinung Hakka Historic Museum. Various exhibitions, films and cuisine fairs will also be staged. Free bus tours of Meinung and surrounds will also be available Saturday and Sunday during this period. A bicycle tour also starts at 3pm on Nov. 9 and a Hakka rock'n'roll show starts at 3pm on Nov. 15. The museum will also hold several Hakka-related performances and exhibitions. For further details visit the Kaohsiung County Bureau of Cultural Affairs Web site (http://163.29.243.4/web/eng/en11_01.asp#30).
■ Crime
Murders rise slightly
The number of murders in Taiwan rose slightly last year, according to the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, with arguments still the leading catalyst for homicide. The Cabinet agency said 1,156 people were murdered last year, up 84 from the previous year. It said arguments were behind 36 percent of the killings, followed by revenge (15.2 percent) and impulse (12.3 percent). Eight percent of the convicted murderers were teenagers, 1.1 percentage point higher than the previous year. Of the victims, 23 percent were women. According to the survey, more than 33 percent of the murders were committed between 7pm and midnight, nearly 17 percent between midnight and 3am and about 15 percent between noon and 5pm.
■ Business
Singapore company sued
A company in Singapore is being sued for illegally selling copies of the hit TV drama Meteor Garden II. Spin Video was accused of hawking illegal VCDs of the show starring the popular boy band F4, taped off the air in Taiwan, The Straits Times said. The sole licensee of the program in Singapore, Alliance Entertainment Singapore, alleged in court on Monday that Spin Video offered hundreds of VCDs of the show even after a court injunction was obtained in January ordering it to stop selling them. The plaintiff's lawyer said police raids netted more than 800 sets of VCDs. Spin Video denied any copyright infringement. The firm said it imported genuine products from a Malaysian company with the knowledge of the copyright owners and exclusive licensee. One of the companies suing Spin Video is Speedy Video distributors, which has a license from Taiwanese distributor, Catalyst Logic, to distribute the film in Malaysia and Singapore.
■ Sport
Fans protest ticket system
Two baseball fans yesterday said ticket sales for the Chinese Professional Baseball League's 2003 Taiwan Series had been interfered with by privileged baseball fans. Scores of fans were left ticketless despite having waited more than 30 hours for the box office to open on Saturday. Accompanied by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Chi-fang (蔡啟芳), the two fans accused the teams and authorities of colluding with prominent businesspeople in hiding tickets to give to their cronies, to the detriment of less-well-connected spectators. Tsai condemned the bad management of the ticketing office and the influence of the businesspeople.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
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