■ DEFENSE
Classified data mishandled
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday confirmed that a member of Military Intelligence Agency had mishandled classified information, but denied that the ministry was investigating the incident as an espionage case. The ministry made the remarks in a statement issued yesterday in response to a story published by Next Magazine. The magazine reported yesterday that Military Intelligence Agency director-general Ker Kuang-ming (葛廣明) suspected his deputy, Liu Ben-shan (劉本善), of leaking information, “which ended up in the hand of Chinese intelligence.” The report also said that Liu was given an administrative demerit for bringing classified information from work back to his home. “The individual concerned in this case has been punished,” the statement said. Further inquiries were met by “no comments” from the ministry.
■ SPORTS
Premier lauds athletes
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) presided over a banquet yesterday for the athletes and officials who represented Taiwan in the 25th World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. Taiwanese athletes won seven gold, five silver and five bronze medals in the Games. During the banquet, which was hosted by the Sports Affairs Council and the Chinese Taipei University Sports Federation, Liu congratulated the athletes and expressed hope that the Taiwanese athletes competing in the Hong Kong East Asian Games in December and in the 2010 Asia Games in China would bring honor to the country. The World University Games, which is held every two years, took place from July 1 to July 12, attracting more than 9,000 competitors and referees from 165 nations.
■ CHARITY
Artists to join charity fast
The Taiwan chapter of the Christian charity World Vision said yesterday that a record number of artists and singers had signed up to support its “30-Hour Famine Hero Rally” next month to raise money to fight hunger. Artists from major record companies such as Sony, Universal, AsiaMuse, Linfair, Warner and Forward, are preparing to support the event, which is part of the group’s global movement to involve people, especially youngsters, to fast for 30 hours to raise money for people suffering from famine in poor countries, World Vision Taiwan said. Now in its 20th year, the rally in Taiwan is scheduled to take place this year on Aug. 15 and Aug. 16 at National Taiwan Sport University’s multipurpose gymnasium and is expected to draw 15,000 participants, the group said. Artists who have pledged to speak up for the world’s hungry and committed themselves to appearances at the rally include Wang Lee-hom (王力宏), Sylvia Chang (張艾嘉), Will Pan (潘瑋柏), Sodagreen, Da Mouth (大嘴巴) and Rachel Liang (梁文音), the organization said.
■ ENVIRONMENT
Recycling contest opens
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) is offering NT$600,000 (US$18,300) in cash prizes in an artistic design competition to promote garbage recycling, an official said yesterday. EPA Minister Stephen Shen (沈世宏) invited the public to join the online competition by submitting comic strips or videos on garbage recycling. Working on the theme of “recycling to zero waste,” contestants have a choice of four subjects: recycling categories; where to store materials awaiting recycling; innovative ways of using recycled materials; and the value of recycled goods. Entries will be accepted until Oct. 15, Shen said.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
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