TOURISM
Alishan reopening delayed
The Alishan Forest Railway will not be able to open on Dec. 25 as previously scheduled after parts of it were damaged by Typhoon Dujuan, the Taiwan Railways Administration said. The agency last month announced that it expected to resume operations on the full length of the forest railway after repairs to the most scenic section between Fencihu (奮起湖) and Divine Tree (神木) stations had been completed. However, several parts of the rail line were destroyed by Dujuan, forcing the agency to cancel its plan. Meanwhile, the Chiayi Forest District Office said it had completed work to remove fallen rocks and trees brought down by the typhoon.
HEALTH
Dengue cases top 20,000
The number of dengue fever cases nationwide reached 20,241 as of yesterday morning, an increase of 352 from the previous day, according to the Centers for Disease Control. There were 17,278 cases in Tainan, while Kaohsiung had 2,636 and Pingtung County had 81, the agency said. In Taipei, 40 domestic and 46 imported cases had been reported as of 10am. There were two more suspected dengue fever-related fatalities on Saturday, bringing the total number of deaths to 56 nationwide as of yesterday morning, while 54 people remain in intensive care.
RECREATION
Balloon represents Taiwan
A hot air balloon from Taitung County, bearing a Republic of China flag, took to the air at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico on Saturday, an event that drew balloon enthusiasts from around the world. Taitung County Commissioner Justin Huang (黃健庭) was aboard the balloon for a 50-minute flight, the first by a balloon from Taiwan in the US, Huang said. Huang told visitors on the ground that Taitung has hosted several hot air balloon events over the past five years and that county government personnel have visited four continents to invite balloonists to take part in what has become an annual extravaganza in the county.
ENTERTAINMENT
Lang Lang to play in Taipei
Chinese pianist Lang Lang (郎朗) is to perform at a recital in Taipei on Dec. 16. He is to play Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons, Op. 37a; Bach’s Italian Concerto, BWV 971; and Chopin’s four scherzos at the National Concert Hall, according to New Arts, the organizer of the concert. Lang Lang has visited Taiwan several times. In 1994, Lang Lang won first prize at the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists in Germany. The following year, he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Japan. He made his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City in 2001.
CRIME
Chao Yu-chu gets jail term
The Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced Chao Yu-chu (趙玉柱), father of former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) son-in-law, Chao Chien-ming (趙建銘), to a jail term of one year and two months for embezzling NT$4.5 million (US$135,722) donated to the Taiwan Table Tennis Association. Chao Yu-chu, the head of the association at the time, was accused of using the money donated by Eslite Group founder Robert Wu (吳清友) to speculate on the stock market. Taking into consideration the fact that the case against Chao Yu-chu has taken more than eight years to conclude, the Supreme Court decided to reduce a 20-month penalty to a 14-month sentence, which cannot be appealed.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Friday condemned Chinese and Russian authorities for escalating regional tensions, citing Chinese warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s median line and joint China-Russia military activities breaching South Korea’s air defense identification zone (KADIZ) over the past two days. A total of 30 Chinese warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and Friday, entering Taiwan’s northern and southwestern airspace in coordination with 15 naval vessels and three high-altitude balloons, the MAC said in a statement. The Chinese military also carried out another “joint combat readiness patrol” targeting Taiwan on Thursday evening, the MAC said. On
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday confirmed that Chinese students visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation were almost all affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). During yesterday’s meeting convened by the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) asked whether the visit was a way to spread China’s so-called “united front” rhetoric, to which MAC Deputy Ministry Shen You-chung (沈有忠) responded with the CCP comment. The MAC noticed that the Chinese individuals visiting Taiwan, including those in sports, education, or religion, have had increasingly impressive backgrounds, demonstrating that the
MILITARY EXERCISES: China is expected to conduct more drills in the region after President William Lai’s office announced he would stopover in Hawaii and Guam China is likely to launch military drills in the coming days near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming trip to the Pacific and scheduled US transit as a pretext, regional security officials said. Lai is to begin a visit to Taipei’s three diplomatic allies in the Pacific on Saturday, and sources told Reuters he was planning stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam in a sensitive trip shortly after the US presidential election. Lai’s office has yet to confirm details of what are officially “stop-overs” in the US, but is expected to do so shortly before he departs, sources
Tasa Meng Corp (采盟), which runs Taiwan Duty Free, could be fined up to NT$1 million (US$30,737) after the owner and employees took center stage in a photograph with government officials and the returning Premier12 baseball champions at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Monday evening. When Taiwan’s national baseball team arrived home fresh from their World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 championship victory in Tokyo, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) was at the airport with Chinese Professional Baseball League commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) to welcome back the team. However, after Hsiao and Tsai took a photograph with the team, Tasa Meng chairwoman Ku
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