■ DIPLOMACY
Ma itinerary unchanged
President Ma Ying-jeou? (馬英九) upcoming trip to Central American remains unchanged despite rising tensions in Honduras, Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday, adding that the government is continuing to observe developments in the Central American ally. Ma will make state visits to three Central American countries tomorrow. The purpose of the trip is to attend the inauguration of Panamanian president-elect Ricardo Martinelli on Wednesday. The trip will also take Ma to Nicaragua and Honduras. Earlier this week, the Presidential Office changed Ma? travel plans and delayed Ma? visit to Honduras by one day. The Presidential Office said the delay was to take into consideration that Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya may still be out of the country the day Ma was originally scheduled to arrive, despite Zelaya? pledge that he would have returned by then. Tensions are rising in Honduras after Zelaya ignored a court order to reinstate the army chief. Zelaya fired General Romeo Vasquez after he refused to help with a referendum on constitutional change that could allow Zelaya to seek a second term.
■ SOCIETY
TRA, CPC hold job tests
The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) and CPC Corp, Taiwan (中油公司) yesterday held tests to recruit new employees, with a massive number of applicants vying for the few openings. The state-run oil company was to recruit entry-level technicians through this year? test. A total of 17,933 people took the test this year, but only 198 of them will be accepted. The starting salary for entry-level technicians is NT$26,000. A second test was held yesterday for those who have already passed written tests. TV footage showed applicants being asked to climb up and down the stairs of a 20m high platform within 90 seconds. They had to stand on top of the platform for about 10 seconds before climbing down in order to secure a passing grade. Meanwhile, approximately 29,000 people registered for tests at the TRA and competed for 445 positions that are available this year. The acceptance rate was about 1.5 percent.
■ CULTURE
Artist workshop opened
The Taipei Artist Village, a non-governmental artist community run by the Taipei Culture Foundation, yesterday launched its first ?unArts?Artist Workshop in Grass Mountain Arts Village in suburban Taipei. ?eave the complex city behind, concentrate on the needles, feel the art, enjoy a moment of silence,?the Villare urged the public in a press release. An embroidery workshop was held on Friday and will be held again on July 11 from 2:30pm to 4:30pm at 92 Art Center, Grass Mountain Arts Village. Discounts of 10 percent will be offered to people who hold a Children? Arts Festival Passport.
■ DIPLOMACY
European camp restarted
Taiwan will restart a two-week camp for European youths and adults between the ages of 18 and 40 after a near 10 year hiatus. One hundred openings are available for the program. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has commissioned the China Youth Corps to organize two workshops from July 28 to Aug. 10 and between Aug. 18 and Aug. 31 in Taipei to give the participants a better understanding of Taiwanese. Anne Hung (洪慧珠), director-general of the ministry? Department of European Affairs, said the program aims to deepen the European youths?understanding of Taiwan and to increase interaction among young people on both sides.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
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