■ Politics
Forum meets in Taipei
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and four former national leaders from countries that have no diplomatic relations with Taiwan will take part in the inaugural meeting of the World Forum for Democratization in Asia (WFDA) in Taipei next week. Michael Ying-mao Kau (高英茂), executive director of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD), made the announcement during an interview yesterday. The TFD was founded in June 2003 with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Legislative Yuan. Kau said that more than 100 ranking officials from governments and civic organizations from more than 20 countries in Asia will take part in the WFDA meeting Sept. 15-17 at the Taipei International Convention Center. The forum will also exchange views on such issues as religion, women, direct democracy and political responsibility, Kau said.
■ Society
Ma shrugs off `shooting'
A false report on the Yahoo! Kimo Web site claiming that Chinese Nationalist Chairman and Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had been shot caused quite a stir on Friday. The Web site offered an apology yesterday as Ma responded to the rumor with humor. The story, headlined "Ma Ying-jeou shot," appeared on Friday afternoon and instantly generated serious discussions among users as reporters began calling Ma's assistants to confirm the news. Yahoo! yesterday offered an apology on its Web site, and explained that it was a mistake made during a host-testing process. Ma shrugged off the rumor. "When I heard that I had been shot, I immediately checked my jacket and found no bullet holes. Then I knew it was just a rumor," he joked, making reference to the gunshot which grazed President Chen Sui-bian's (陳水扁) abdomen in the 319 assassination attempt last year.
■ Agriculture
Pomelos earn praise
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) praised the quality of pomelos grown in Matou (麻豆) Township, Tainan, yesterday during a visit to his hometown, saying that he intends to present the seasonal fruit to foreign diplomatic missions stationed in Taiwan as a gift in celebration of the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Sept. 18 this year. Chen made the visit after growers had complained that the president cared less about sales of fruits from his hometown than those of other places, referring to pomelos from Touliou (斗六) in Yunlin County, which Chen recently recommended. On his visit to Tainan, Chen met with local residents, visited a temple, and then stopped in Shanhua (善化) Township for a beer festival.
■ Sport
Lu, Hsieh tout Taijiquan
Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday gave his word that he will try his best to persuade the 2009 World Games Association to add Taijiquan, also known as Chinese Shadow Boxing, to the games' program. The premier made his remarks when he accompanied Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to Kaohsiung to co-host the grand opening ceremony of the "President Cup National Taijiquan Contest" yesterday morning. The contest has 1,600 participants and is being held at Kaohsiung's Chien-chen Junior High School. Lu and Hsieh were both invited to host the ceremony because both of them are Taijiquan fans. "Taijiquan is a unique sport. It looks slow and weak but it is actually irresistible when you use it in fighting," the premier said.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
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