■ Defense
Larger memorial suggested
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday urged the Ministry of National Defense to hold a grand memorial service for the eight military officers who died in a helicopter crash on Tuesday. In a statement issued by DPP legislators Hsueh Ling (薛凌), Sandy Yen (莊和子) and Wang Shu-hui (王淑慧), the ministry was urged to expand the memorial service from a smaller one limited to the brigade to a larger one involving the whole army. They said many military officers had suggested a larger memorial service because the eight officers died on duty during a military maneuver. High-ranking army officials and army flags should all be present during the ceremony to salute and honor the deceased, they added. The crash occurred on Tuesday when the UH-1H helicopter hit a transmission tower of the Police Radio Station in Chishan Township (旗山), Kaohsiung County, killing all eight passengers on board.
■ Defense
Air raid drill on Tuesday
The annual Wanan Exercise will be carried out in northern Taiwan between 2pm and 2:30pm on Tuesday. The Wanan Exercise is an air raid drill that is usually carried out between April and June in different locations around the country. The Ministry of National Defense said that the first drill this year will be carried out in Taoyuan, Keelung, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Ilan, Taipei City and County. During the 30-minute exercise, all vehicular and pedestrian traffic will be suspended. All indoor and outdoor lights must also be switched off. Personnel must be evacuated to the basement of buildings during the exercise.
■ Education
Library to hold book shows
The National Central Library is scheduled to hold several book shows on different themes this year to promote reading, with the first book show set to be launched on April 21 at the library's reading room on the second floor, a spokesman for the library said yesterday. The first show will run through July 1 and will be followed by book shows on "Old Photos of Local Places," to be held from July 3 to Sept. 30, "Reading France," to run from Oct. 2 to Oct. 31, and "Research Methods and Thesis Writing," to be held from Nov. 2 to Dec. 31. About 120 to 160 books will be exhibited at each show. A list of the books on display during each show will be posted on the library's Web site, the spokesman said. The shows are aimed at encouraging the public to utilize the library more and cultivate the habit of reading as part of efforts to create a "learning society" where "anyone can read books anywhere," the spokesman said.
■ Education
Aboriginal grants offered
Kansas State University is offering grants in the region of US$10,000 to Aboriginal students to study at the school. The program, sponsored by Taiwanese alumni Lien Hua-chi (連華圻) and his wife Ho Mei-Hsien (何美賢), is designed to offer more international learning opportunities to Aboriginal students. Lien also encouraged recipients of the grant to return to Taiwan after completing their studies to contribute to their communities. Applicants are required to submit grade reports, letters of recommendation and proposals describing how they will contribute to their communities after studying in the US. For more information, contact Chou Sung-tien (周松田) at (06) 205-0622 or (06) 272-1027, or send an e-mail to stchou@mail.ksu.edu.tw before the end of May.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
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