■ TRANSPORT
New rules on exhaust pipes
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said it would amend a clause of the Road Safety Traffic Rules (道路安全交通規則) to require that exhaust pipes on motorcycles point downwards. Chen Yen-po (陳彥伯), deputy director of the Ministry’s Department of Railways and Highways, said many people had complained about exposure to exhaust fumes when waiting behind motorcycles with modified exhaust pipes that point upwards. The measure could take effect by the end of September if the department finishes necessary procedures without further deliberation at the Legislative Yuan, he said. Police are also authorized to stop motorcyclists who violate the rule. Violators could be fined between NT$900 and NT$1,000.
■ CRIME
Youths soft on crime: poll
About a quarter of the nation’s junior high school students tend to turn a blind eye to cheating or stealing by their peers, a study released yesterday said. The study, conducted by the non-profit Champions Education Association on 9,520 students at junior high schools across the country between August last year and March, showed that the majority of students knew it was wrong to cheat in exams or steal other people’s belongings. However, only 73 percent said they would take action if they caught classmates cheating during exams, while 25 percent said they would ignore the matter. A similar trend was also found when students were asked what they would do if their classmates stole something. The study showed that 16.2 percent of respondents would tolerate such behavior if a close friend stole something.
■ POLITICS
Chiu Yi cleared of slander
The Taiwan High Court on Tuesday ruled that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) was not guilty of slander for calling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Pi-ling (管碧玲) an “ugly woman.” The court overturned a district court ruling and said Chiu was not guilty because it did not find that Chiu had damaged Kuan’s reputation by calling her “ugly,” adding that Chiu’s personal opinion about Kuan’s outer appearance was unrelated to Kuan’s merit or social status. On Nov. 18, 2005, Kuan and other legislators accused Chiu of making false allegations against other politicians. In response, Chiu said to Kuan, “You are an ugly woman, even by the kindest standards.” Kuan then filed a slander suit against Chiu. In August last year, the Taipei District Court sentenced Chiu to 25 days in jail, or a fine of NT$22,500.
■ WEATHER
Tropical storm approaches
Another storm is poised to strike Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Tropical storm Nangka, the Malaysian name for jackfruit, formed over the Philippines on Tuesday. The weather bureau said Nangka’s outer rim would affect Taiwan from tomorrow at the earliest. As of 8am yesterday, Nangka was located more than 1,000km south of Taiwan, moving in a westerly direction toward the South China Sea at a speed of 23kph, the bureau said. The storm system is expected to turn north toward Taiwan after it reaches the South China Sea area. Meanwhile, hot weather was expected to persist today, the bureau said, with temperatures reaching 33°C in eastern and southeastern parts of the country, 32°C in the north and south and 31°C in central Taiwan. Matsu Island and the western and northeastern parts of Taiwan proper were expected to experience occasional showers or thundershowers over the next several days, the bureau said.
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Commuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messages
A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said. Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56