VIDEO GAMES
Xbox live gets trial period
Microsoft Taiwan Corp will offer consumers a free seven-day trial of its Xbox live service, in accordance with the Consumer Protection Act (消費者保護法), a local government official said yesterday. The software giant and game console producer is following in the steps of Apple Inc and Groupon, which agreed last month to a request by the Taipei City Government to an unconditional seven-day refund period. In response to complaints from consumers that Microsoft had no refund policy for its Xbox online service in Taiwan, the city government urged the company to rectify the situation, said Yeh Ching-yuan (葉慶元), director of Taipei’s Law and Regulation Commission. On Aug. 15, Microsoft agreed to allow a free seven-day trial of its Xbox service in Taiwan, in keeping with Article 19 of the Consumer Protection Law, Yeh said.
SOCIETY
Youths embark on bike trip
More than 100 young adults and teenagers expressed determination yesterday to complete an 11-day bike journey around the country to celebrate their transition to adulthood. The 110 young people, aged between 18 and 20, were set to begin their 1,000km trip from Taipei today as a rite of passage to mark their coming of age. The “Change Your World” event, being held for the third year, is organized by the Sports Affairs Council and the Taiwan Bike Association. It is aimed at encouraging young people to travel around the island to get a better understanding of the place in which they live. The 1,000km event is the final stage of a larger event that included 500km trips nationwide last month for 18-year-olds.
CULTURE
Hakka writer dies at 70
Hakka writer Chung Tie-min (鍾鐵民) died peacefully at his home in Meinong (美濃), Greater Kaohsiung, on Monday. He was 70. He was the eldest son of late writer Chung Li-ho (鍾理和). Chung Tie-min checked into Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital early this month with complications relating to heart disease. He did not respond to treatment and family members decided to have him discharged on Monday so he could spend his final moments at home, in accordance with local customs. To promote Taiwanese literature, the Chung Li-ho Cultural and Educational Foundation said that he had successfully advocated the building of a memorial museum dedicated to his father. A memorial for Chung Tie-min will be held at the Chung Li-ho Memorial Museum on Sept. 10.
EDUCATION
Wu warns Chinese nationals
Chinese nationals who will attend universities and colleges in Taiwan this fall should avoid taking part in activities involving political issues, Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基) said. Wu said extracurricular activities and clubs are good ways for students to help develop their originality and competitiveness, but Chinese students who will study in Taiwan this fall should avoid attending any activities involving politics to avoid unnecessary negative outcomes. More than 1,000 students from China have been accepted into undergraduate programs in Taiwanese universities for the fall semester, the first time Chinese nationals have been allowed into the country’s higher education institutions as full-time students. Another 220 Chinese students have been admitted into master’s degree programs and 28 into
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
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