■ Shooting probe
Committee denied funding
Director of the Directorate General of Budget Accounting and Statistics Hsu Chang-yao (許璋瑤) yesterday said that his office would not agree to allow the investigative committee probing the March 19 assassination attempt to use the Cabinet's Secondary Preparatory Fund to cover its expenses. Hsu said that his office would not allow access to the fund even if the Council of Grand Justices ruled the committee to be valid in terms of of the Constitution. Hsu said he based his decision on uncertainty about where the committee fitted into the government structure, and the fact that the committee does not have an official head or an accounting department to regulate the committee's finances.
■ Society
Man jumps into lions' pit
An apparently mentally-deranged man jumped into the lions' pit at the Taipei Zoo yesterday to "talk" to the lions. He was rescued with only a minor bite on his foot. Chen Chung-ho (陳中和), 46, leapt into the pit at about 11am and walked toward a pair of sleeping lions, waving his jacket and talking to the big cats. Zoo officials said lions charged at the man twice and one bit his right foot, but the injury was not serious. Zoo visitors alerted security guards, who arrived promptly with veterinarians, who used water cannons to separate the lions from Chen. They fired two anaesthetic shots at the animals, which put them to sleep, allowing Chen to walk free through the gate. Chen was sent to hospital for treatment and psychiatric examination. He had been in the lion's pit for nearly an hour.
■ Education
Overseas studies promoted
Under a government program to send elite students abroad for advanced study, the first group of such students could be heading overseas to top-notch universities and research institutes early next year, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said yesterday. Education Minister Tu Cheng-sheng (杜正勝) said the program will cover students in three major areas -- basic sciences, humanities and social sciences, and key technology fields. Students can receive scholarships of US$30,000 per year. Those studying humanities or social sciences can receive scholarships for three years, while those studying natural sciences are encouraged to apply for scholarships at their schools during the second year of study, he said. Tu said that his ministry, the National Science Council (NSC) and the Council for Economic Planning and Development will jointly put forward NT$450 million (US$13.43 million) for the program. The MOE and the NSC will jointly use two-thirds of the budget to select students for advanced studies overseas, while colleges and the universities will use the remaining one-third to select students for priority subjects.
■ Crime
Drugs disguised as candy
A Vietnamese woman has been arrested for attempting to smuggle a batch of heroin coated with sugar and disguised as candies into Taiwan, police said yesterday. Nguyen Thi Tuyen, 24, who is married to a Taiwanese national residing in Taitung County, was arrested upon arrival at CKS Airport from Ho Chi Minh City late Tuesday night, police said. Hundreds of sugarcoated heroin pills with a total weight of about 410 grams were found in her luggage, police said. Taitung police said they had reacted to a tip-off. The drugs worth more than NT$8 million (US$23,900) were cut into 200 small pieces, wrapped in candy papers and mixed with real chocolates in two jars, they said.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
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