ENTERTAINMENT
Madonna coming to Taipei?
“Queen of Pop” Madonna is scheduled to hold her first concert in Taiwan on Feb. 4 next year at the Taipei Arena, according to a promotional poster that was accidentally posted at a 7-Eleven store. Tickets for the “Rebel Heart Tour” will go on sale at 11am on Sept. 26 at http://ticket.7net.com.tw/ or at the 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, according to the information on the poster. A photo of the poster was uploaded to the Madonna Taiwan Facebook fan page on Sunday. When asked about the poster, concert promoter Live Nation Taiwan said it would not disclose nor confirm any information about the concert until today. Local media reported that the poster was accidentally posted earlier than scheduled by 7-Eleven employees. Rumors about a Madonna concert in Taiwan started circulating last month.
ENVIRONMENT
Spoonbill festival planned
Taijiang National Park in Tainan will hold a six-month festival featuring the black-faced spoonbill that will run from October to March, when the endangered bird species migrates to Taiwan for winter, park authorities said on Thursday. Tainan is one of the most important wintering sites for the black-faced spoonbill, accounting for more than 65 percent of the global population. Every year, more than 1,000 of the birds are recorded in the park. The festival is scheduled to start with an exposition on Sept. 26. In addition to an exhibition, there will be games, dramas, DIY activities and quizzes. The festival is set to feature a different theme each month, with various activities such as bird watching and bicycle riding. Those interested in the activities can register to take part via the park’s official Web site two weeks prior to the start of the events.
SPORTS
Marathon registration starts
The Taipei Marathon, previously known as the Taipei Fubon Marathon, is now open for online registration, with the number of runners limited to 27,000, the organizer said yesterday. If more than 27,000 people register, participation is to be decided by drawing lots, the Taipei City Department of Sports said. It is the first time that the drawing of lots has been introduced as a means of selecting runners for the annual marathon. Another change this year is that the event has been renamed the Taipei Marathon as it no longer has a naming rights sponsor, which used to be Fubon Financial Holdings Co. In addition, there will only be three competition categories this year: full marathon (7,000 competitors), half-marathon (12,000 competitors) and 10km run (8,000 competitors). The marathon is to start at 6:30am on Dec. 20.
CRIME
‘Lotto’ robber arrested
A man who tried to rob a bank to buy tickets for the Super Lotto that were to be drawn later yesterday was arrested shortly after his heist attempt failed, police said. The Super Lotto’s jackpot now stands at NT$2.9 billion (US$88.6 million) after 40 draws over a span of nearly five months have failed to produce a winner — the lottery’s longest-ever consecutive winless streak. The 40-year-old odd-job man, surnamed Lin (林), went to First Bank’s Rueifang (瑞芳) branch in New Taipei City, brandished a knife and told the guard he wanted NT$100,000, police investigators said. When the guard ignored him, Lin went to the bank’s counter and took a NT$1,000 note, whereupon the clerk punched the alarm bell. At least 15 police officers responded from the police station, which is only 500m from the bank, and overcame Lin in less than a minute.
LEISURE
Zoos to swap deer, pandas
The Shoushan Zoo in Kaohsiung on Sunday said it had reached an agreement with the Chengdu Zoo in China’s Sichuan Province to exchange a pair of Formosan sika deer for two Chinese pandas. The exchange is expected to enrich the diversity of species at the Shoushan Zoo, which has been seeking to do so, but has been limited by its funding and space, Shoushan Zoo director Chuang Hsuan-chih (莊絢智) said. The zoo, which attracts about 1 million visitors each year, said it is hoping to attract private investment to expand the zoo complex. The zoo expects it would be at least two years before the exchange can take place given the complex process and paperwork.
AGRICULTURE
Taiwan pledges Haiti cash
Taiwan has committed US$4.6 million in funding for agricultural cooperation projects in Haiti this year, the nation’s embassy in Haiti said. Ambassador Peter Hwang (黃再求) pledged the funds to Haitian Minister of Agriculture Fresner Dorcin at a ceremony on Friday. Dorcin expressed appreciation for Taiwan’s long-term support and contributions to Haiti’s agricultural development, adding that agricultural cooperation projects over the past 43 years have been fruitful. The embassy said that Taiwan’s agricultural technical mission in Haiti is to manage the US$4.6 million fund and the agricultural projects for which it is to be used. It said that funding for agricultural cooperation projects in Haiti has risen from US$100,000 in 1972, contributing greatly to the nation’s agricultural output and development, and improving the life of local farmers.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
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