LANGUAGE
RDEC rewards video artists
Prizes were awarded yesterday to creative artists whose short videos stood out in an English film competition held by the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (RDEC) to promote an English-friendly speaking environment. A total of 31 competitors from around the country participated in the “So Beautiful! My Village” contest, which required each contestant to produce a two-minute film introducing the village or city in which they live, said RDEC Minister Chu Chin-peng (朱景鵬), who praised participants’ creativity and the quality of their work. First place went to Yu Hui-lan’s (游惠嵐) video entitled Monkey Rocks Kao-hsiung featuring the port city. Karl Zimmerman, a retiree from the US, who came to Taiwan a year ago with his Taiwanese wife to run a farm in Shangan Village (上安) in Nantou County, won second prize. According to the commission, the films have been posted on the Internet at www.so-beautiful.org.
DIPLOMACY
Taiwan mulls US midterms
The outcome of the just--concluded US midterm elections present both a challenge and an opportunity Taiwan’s representative to the US Jason Yuan (袁健生) said on Thursday. With many new faces elected to the US Congress, the challenge is how to ensure the newcomers gain a better understanding of Taiwan-US relations and win their support, Yuan said during a gathering with foreign journalists based in Washington. This provides a great opportunity to win new friends, he said. Regarding Taiwanese media reports that the Republican victory in the elections was favorable to Taiwan’s bid to acquire arms from the US, Yuan said it did not make any difference which party controls Congress, as arms sales to Taiwan was a non-partisan issue.
CHARITY
Donation made to families
A philanthropist has donated almost NT$860,000 (US$28,430) to relatives of six Indonesians who died in a freeway construction accident in September, according to the Taipei Economic and Trade Office (TETO) in Indonesia. The donation last month of a total of NT$1 million by Nanlien International Corp chairman Lee Tong-liang (李棟樑) also included money for the family of Chuang Yung-ho (莊永和), the lone Taiwanese killed in the accident. Taiwan’s representative to Indonesia Andrew Hsia (夏立言) presented the remaining NT$857,142 to the Indonesian relatives on Thursday at the TETO in Jakarta. The Ministry of the Foreign Affairs paid for the victims’ relatives’ travel expenses to the Indonesian capital. The seven workers lost their lives when scaffolding collapsed near the Freeway No. 6’s Beishan Interchange in Nantou County on Sept. 30.
SPORTS
Princess re-elected to FEI
Jordanian princess Haya Al Hussein was re-elected president of the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) in a landslide victory at the body’s general assembly in Taipei yesterday and pledged to continue reforms in her second term. The princess won with 90 votes out of a possible total of 124, beating contenders Sven Holmberg of Sweden and Henk Rottinghuis of the Netherlands. During a post-election press conference, she thanked the host country, saying she had many happy memories of Taiwan, including the warmth and hospitality of the people. She added that she would like to visit Taiwan again. Al Hussein also acknowledged criticism about her first term, saying: “I took criticism seriously and I have learned a lot.”
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
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