■SPORTS
Universities court heroine
Taekwondo heroine Su li-wen’s (蘇麗文) battling displays at the Beijing Olympics may not have helped her win the gold medal she wanted, but it certainly helped her get her foot in the door at two of the nation’s most prestigious universities. Both National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and National Chung Cheng University (NCCU) in Chiayi County expressed interest yesterday in hiring Su as an instructor in their sports departments, a Broadcasting Corp of China story said yesterday. NCCU said it had invited Su, a former student, to return and work as a full-time instructor, while NTNU also offered her a position as an instructor, with benefits and salary comparable to that of a full-time faculty member. Su would only need to coach athletes and would not have to do any research work, they said. The story said NTNU managed to get in touch with Su as soon as the Olympics was over. Su was said to be delighted to hear the news and was willing to carefully consider her options.
■HEALTH
Dengue infections rise to 18
Taipei City’s Department of Health Secretary-General Chen Cheng-cheng (陳正誠) confirmed yesterday afternoon that one more dengue fever case had been confirmed in Yunglun Borough (永倫里), Shilin District (士林). The announcement brought the number of dengue fever infections in the city to 18. The city’s Health Department said that blood testing had been conducted on hundreds of residents in the neighborhood from Shezhong Street (社中) to Songshan District (松山). The results of the tests will be announced tomorrow morning.
■ENVIRONMENT
Web site gives air info
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) recently established a Web site that provides real-time air quality information to the public, an official said yesterday. Chu Yu-chi (朱雨其), director-general of the EPA’s department of environmental protection monitoring and information management, said the Web site utilizes the user-friendly Google Maps service and provides instant air quality information, both nationwide and for local areas. People can acquire information on the air quality at home or in travel destinations if they enter specific addresses at the Web site, Chu said. The system also provides air quality predictions for the following 24 hours, as well as an introduction to all of the country’s air quality inspection stations, Chu said. The public can download historical air quality inspection data from the Web site for reference, Chu said, adding that the system can be accessed via the EPA’s homepage. To access the Web site, visit taqm.epa.gov.tw/ emc/default
■CULTURE
Taipei announces tours
To celebrate National Historical Site Day on Sept. 21, the Taipei City Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs announced it is planning site tours of six historical sites adding that a creative carnival would take place on the day in front of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Taipei. The tours, a North Gate memory tour, East Gate contemporary architecture tour, West Gate (Ximen) tour, South Gate nostalgic tour, 228 Peace Memorial Park survey and Wenwu District tour, planned and led by artists would also be offered on the day, the department said. From 2pm until 6pm, a carnival with 20 or so stalls would take place in the plaza in front of museum, the department said, adding that people could collect stamps for passing challenges and receive prizes. For more information, visit www.culture.gov.tw
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
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
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
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
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