■ Diplomacy
No christmas for you
The Vatican has asked Taiwan to make Christmas a national holiday, but the nation has refused on the grounds that it already has too many holidays, Taiwan radio reported yesterday. The Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC) said Vatican Secretary of State Angela Sodano made the request to a Foreign Minister Mark Chen (陳唐山) when Chen visited the Holy See earlier this week. During their meeting, Cardinal Sodano asked why Taiwanese people do not have a day off at Christmas, and expressed the hope that Taiwan would make Christmas a national holiday, BCC said. Chen told Sodano that Taiwanese nationals can take two days off every other week and many businesses are already complaining that there are too many holidays, so it would not be easy to make Christmas a national holiday.
■ Diplomacy
Colombians arrive
Camilo Sanchez Ortega, chairman of Colombia's Liberal Party, and a delegation of other Colombians arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a five-day visit. During his stay, Sanchez and his delegation, which includes his wife, will visit the Legislative Yuan and meet with Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Chen Ruey-long (陳瑞隆) and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Hwang (黃瀧元). They will also attend a luncheon hosted by Hwang. The group will visit cultural and economic facilities including the National Palace Museum, the Taipei World Trade Center, the Taipei 101 Business Center and the Taiwan Handcraft Promotion Center before departing on July 7.
■ Diplomacy
We're friends with Canada
Ties between Taiwan and Canada are improving despite Beijing's persistent attempts to disrupt the relationship, Taiwan's representative to Canada said in Vancouver on Friday. Speaking to a group of Taiwanese living in Canada, Thomas Chen (陳東壁) said that although the absence of diplomatic ties does impose some restraints on the development of bilateral ties, the Canadian parliament and people are friendly toward Taiwan and support the nation's bid to join the WHO. In order to provide an example illustrating friendly relations between the two sides, Chen said that many senior Taiwanese officials have visited Canada in a private capacity in the last three years, which he said is impossible in many other countries.
■ Crime
Bereaved travel to Japan
People close to the Taiwanese student who was found dead while traveling in Japan departed for Japan yesterday morning. The parents, uncle, younger brother and boyfriend of Hsiao Jen-chiao (蕭任喬), 21, a Japanese Literature major at Taiwan's Providence University, took a Japan Asia Airways flight to Tokyo yesterday. Hsiao, who was on a five-day tour to Japan, was strangled to death last Monday. The suspect, a 25-year-old Japanese man surnamed Watanabe, turned himself in on Thursday.
■ Education
Students to serve villages
The Council of Indigenous People is sending 120 Aboriginal college students to do community service in remote Aboriginal communities throughout Taiwan from July 8 to July 29. During the 22-day program, the students will learn more about Aboriginal cultures and lifestyles. The program also is designed to teach the students about Aboriginal languages and to foster a spirit of service as students give to the communities.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS