■ DIPLOMACY
ChthoniC to return from tour
Black metal band ChthoniC is scheduled to return home today from a tour to North America promoting Taiwan's bid to join the UN. The Goth-style rockers were on the road for more than two months, crisscrossing some 60 cities in North America and introducing foreign audiences to the difficulties Taiwan faces in its efforts to join the UN and other international organizations. In a press conference in Washington earlier this month, lead singer Freddy Lim (林昶佐) dismissed the allegation that the band was too political. "I don't feel anything political in our message," he said. "It's a very simple message that we, the citizens of Taiwan, want to have the same rights as the American people and those of other countries at the United Nations. I don't believe this is too much to ask."
■ DIPLOMACY
Taiwan Beer breaks the ice
Taiwan Beer has become popular among WTO representatives in Geneva, Switzerland, Taiwan's representative to the WTO Lin Yi-fu (林義夫) said on Sunday. Lin introduced Taiwan Beer to other representatives at the WTO at an unofficial cocktail party on Saturday, which drew more than 100 participants, including mission chiefs of WTO member economies. The party followed a friendly golf match among representatives on the same day, Lin said. In order to raise Taiwan's profile, Lin decided to include Taiwan Beer among the drinks at the party. The beer proved popular among party participants because it was very different from the other beverages, Lin said.
■ TRANSPORTATION
Su-Hua Highway damaged
The Highway Bureau cautioned motorists yesterday about driving on the landslide-prone Suao-Hualien Highway after the road was hit by falling rocks earlier in the day. Bureau road maintenance official Chen Shih-chan (陳世昌) said that over the past few days, intermittent downpours in Ilan County had made the highway more precarious for traffic. Chen said that in the early hours yesterday, a 30m span of the roadway at Wuta, Nanau Township (南澳), Ilan County, had been washed out. Road maintenance personnel had begun to clear the road, but more time was needed to repair the heavily damaged roadbed, he said. At around 5am yesterday morning, a sedan carrying two people encountered a washout and slid 130m down the side of a mountain, Suao police reported. The driver and his 81-year-old mother were rescued about an hour after the accident and rushed to a nearby hospital, the report said. The driver injured his forehead and shoulders, while his mother sustained a fracture to the right arm.
■ WEATHER
CWB warns of torrential rain
The Central Weather Bureau maintained its warning of heavy rains yesterday evening, saying eastern Taiwan and the southern mountain regions could expect torrential rain during the night, while mountainous areas in the north could also receive heavy rain. The bureau said the east coast can expect showers throughout the day today, while the mountainous areas in central and southern Taiwan could see thunderstorms and rain in the afternoon. Toward the evening, eastern and southern Taiwan will be overcast, while Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu will be overcast to clear, with a chance of a visible full moon in the evening.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
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