MILITARY
US delivers minehunters
Two retrofitted coastal minehunters purchased from the US were delivered to Taiwan yesterday, beefing up the country’s naval defense capabilities, the navy said in a statement. The refurbished Osprey-class minehunters were shipped to Greater Kaohsiung after nearly three years of work that included reactivating the ships and training personnel to crew them, the navy said. An official welcoming ceremony will be held on Aug. 10 at the Zuoying (左營) naval base in Greater Kaohsiung, it added. The vessels will improve the navy’s ability to locate and destroy naval mines used in sea blockades, sources familiar with the matter said. The two vessels — the USS Oriole and the USS Falcon — were both decommissioned from US naval service. In early 2010, the US government approved the sale of the two ships to Taiwan. The package included refurbishment, upgrading and other related support and services, at an estimated cost of US$105 million.
PHILANTHROPY
World Vision wants cash
World Vision Taiwan said yesterday it hopes to raise NT$20 million (US$671,770) this month in a fundraising campaign to help disadvantaged students in eastern Taiwan with their education expenses. The money will help 1,000 high-school and university students from Taitung and Lanyu (蘭嶼), also known as Orchid Island, to pay their tuition fees, accommodation and transport costs, a senior officer of the Christian charity said. “Resources there are limited and the students really need our help,” the officer said, adding many high school students living in the area often have to suspend their studies to earn money for their families. According to World Vision Taiwan statistics, 21 percent of the school dropouts it has helped say their families were experiencing financial difficulties at the time they dropped out.
SOCIETY
Bartender wins accolades
“Flairtending” talent Hsu Po-sheng (許博勝) from Taiwan took top place with his skills and a Spiderman show at the 21st Asia-Pacific Bartender of the Year Cocktail Competition held on Wednesday in Singapore. Beating contestants from 16 other countries, Hsu brought home the ninth consecutive championship for Taiwan in the “flairing” category of the competition. His winning cocktail, “Golden Year,” was a blend of gin, vermouth and citrus. Hsu, who has appeared in a Spiderman costume for eight years, said he practiced for at least six hours a day over the past six months to prepare for the competition. He added that his coach watched the latest Spiderman movie to help him design his show.
MUSIC
ChthoniC wows 200,000
Taiwanese black metal band ChthoniC won cheers from 200,000 music lovers after playing a set at the recently concluded 2012 Fuji Rock Festival in Japan. It was the second time ChthoniC, currently on tour in Europe, had performed at the popular festival, which was held from Friday to Sunday. The last time the band was invited to perform was in 2000. ChthoniC, who played on the White Stage, had Japanese Koto player Shin Ichikawa and renowned Japan-based ex-Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman as their special guests. Before returning home in the middle of this month, the band will perform in Germany, Portugal and England. US post-rock band Explosions in the Sky, French electronic music duo Justice and English rock band Radiohead also performed at the Japanese festival.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
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