SOCIETY
Pair killed in rooftop fire
A student from Tuvalu studying at Ming Chuan University and a Taiwanese woman were found dead after a fire that broke out at a rooftop add-on apartment in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) on Thursday night, police said yesterday. The student, identified as Alimau Logo Susuga, known as Logo, was studying in Ming Chuan’s International Business and Trade Program, the university confirmed yesterday. Police said the man was found along with the woman, who was also dead at the scene in the illegal structure on top of a three-story apartment building. The woman’s identity had not yet been determined because of the seriously charred condition of her body, police said. The cause of the blaze had also not yet been determined and the investigation was continuing, the police added. The fire broke out at about 7pm. Upon receiving the report of a blaze, the Shilin branch of the Taipei Fire Department dispatched 15 fire engines, three ambulances and 58 rescue personnel and paramedics to the scene. However, by the time they arrived the fire had already gutted the apartment, police said. Logo was a member of the Taipei Baboons rugby union club. Long-time club member Andrew Leakey told the Taipei Times: “Logo was a very talented and highly respected member of the club. He will be missed greatly by all his fellow players. The Baboons would like his close friends and family to know that we stand with them at this difficult time.”
ASTRONOMY
Meteor shower to peak today
The annual Perseid meteor shower is to peak late today and early tomorrow, with about 150 per hour predicted, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said yesterday. The best time to observe the Perseids, one of the most dazzling meteor showers each year, would be between 10pm today and sunrise tomorrow, the museum said. While the near-full moon might affect visibility, the meteor shower should still be outstanding because of a significant number of bright and colorful fireballs, it said. A fireball is a brighter-than-usual meteor, “brighter than any of the planets,” according to the International Astronomical Union. Meanwhile, another celestial event is expected this month when the Earth passes through the shadow of the moon on Aug. 21, creating a total solar eclipse, although it will be visible only in the US, the museum said. Such an event will not be visible in Taiwan until 2061, it added.
TRAFFIC
Cyclists issued 139 fines
More than 100 traffic tickets have been issued to cyclists for illegally riding on sidewalks since July 17, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Thursday. The Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例) stipulates that anyone caught riding on sidewalks, including covered sidewalks, outside of designated bike lanes or on any sidewalks that do not have signs allowing dual use by pedestrians and cyclists is subject to a fine of between NT$300 and NT$600. Since the regulations came into force last month, 139 traffic fines and 719 verbal warnings have been issued, department Commissioner Chang Jer-yang (張哲揚) said. Although most were let off with a warning, Chang said officers would fine cyclists if they endanger pedestrians. Depending on the circumstances, the final call is to be that of officers at the scene, he added. The measure is being strictly enforced on major thoroughfares such as Xinyi, Renai, Xinsheng S and Roosevelt roads that have a network of bike paths.
DEFENSE
Chinese spy plane spotted
A Chinese military surveillance aircraft on Wednesday was spotted over international waters east of Taiwan, a post on the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Web site said. A map on the Web site showed that the Y-8 aircraft flew over the western Pacific Ocean, through the Miyako Strait and into the East China Sea. Japan scrambled a fighter jet when it saw the Chinese jet, the post said. Several Chinese military planes, including Xian H-6K bombers, have been spotted on similar routes in recent months. On July 25, an H-6K bomber flew close to the nation’s air defense identification zone, passing through the Bashi Channel and the Miyako Strait before returning to Chinese airspace.
SPORTS
Universiade sales lagging
Only 206,409 of the 702,109 tickets available for the Taipei Summer Universiade had been sold as of Friday last week, data provided by the Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee showed. Taipei City Councilor Chen Ping-fu (陳炳甫) said at a council meeting that the sales rates for seven of the competitions were below 1 percent, while those for 60 others were between 1 and 10 percent. Chen said only eight tickets had been sold for a basketball game on Aug. 24 at the University of Taipei’s Tianmu Gymnasium, which can seat 1,726 spectators, while only 15 tickets were sold for a soccer competition at Fu Jen Catholic University Stadium, which can seat 4,078. Organizing committee spokesman Yang Ching-tang (楊景棠) said that sales should pick up after the release of a full list of the competing teams and rosters. Since the Universiade is an international multisport event offering a wide range of games, it takes time for spectators to decide which events they want to attend, he said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese