THE ARTS
Local illustrators honored
Eight Taiwanese graphic illustrators were among 77 selected to participate in the 55th Illustrators Exhibition to be held online during the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in June, the Taiwan Creative Content Agency said on Thursday. This year, 3,235 participants from 68 countries and regions submitted work for the exhibition, with 226 illustrators selected in the first round, including 24 Taiwanese. In the second and final round, 77 illustrators were selected, including eight Taiwanese, the agency said. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibition is to be held online from June 14 to 17, it added. To help promote the illustrators, the agency said that it would team up with the Animation and Visual Effects Association to produce animated short films introducing each one.
SOCIETY
Taipei dog park launched
On Wednesday, Taipei opened its latest dog park at a fenced-off grassy area inside Guting Riverside Park (古亭河濱公園), next to the shores of the Sindian River (新店溪). The city’s eighth dog park, it totals 703m2, complete with a wash basin, a dispenser of bags for dog droppings and benches for the dogs’ human companions, Taipei City Animal Protection Office officials told the opening event. Officially designated the “Guting Dog Off-Leash Area,” the park cost NT$1.8 million (US$64,826), and was built with mixed playing areas for large and small dogs, Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said.
TOURISM
Blue Cave safely seen via VR
The Penghu County Government has launched a virtual reality (VR) experience that gives people the opportunity to stay in the safe environment of the Penghu Marine Geopark in Magong City while enjoying the potentially treacherous “Blue Cave.” Located on the coast of the uninhabited Siji Islet (西吉嶼), the Blue Cave was created by natural erosion and is part of the South Penghu Marine National Park, the county’s Tourism Department said. Because of accidents involving visitors to the cave being swept away by unpredictable sea currents, all visitors are now required to apply for a permit to go to the islet, the department said. Given the difficulty of visiting the islet, the county government designed a VR Blue Cave experience in part of the geopark’s visitor center that is decorated with images and lights to recreate the cave’s surroundings, it said.
LEISURE
Zoo has leopard cat kittens
A rescued leopard cat kept at the Taipei Zoo gave birth to three kittens on Tuesday, the first such births for the zoo in 20 years, zoo officials said. Leopard cat Ping Ping (平平) gave birth at 5:43pm, 6pm and 6:20pm, officials said, adding that mating behavior was recorded in December last year between Ping Ping and Hsiao Yu (小魚), another rescued leopard cat kept at the zoo. To keep Ping Ping calm and fully rested, she has been separated from the kittens, whose sex remains undetermined, zoo spokesman Eric Tsao (曹先紹) said. Kittens continue growing away from their mother after 45 days, become independent at six months and reach sexual maturity at one-and-a-half years, Tsao said. Visitors would be allowed to see the kittens after they are 45 days old, at the earliest, he said, adding that the public would have the chance to vote on names for the felines. Ping Ping previously gave birth to An An (安安), but that cat died when it was released into the wild and ate a poisoned mouse, Tsao said.
A video allegedly featuring retired general Kao An-kuo (高安國) calling on Taiwanese military officers to surrender to China and overthrow the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has sparked outrage and calls for him to be charged with treason. The video, titled “A message to Taiwanese military officers,” allegedly shows Kao saying: “I call on commanding officers of our military troops to stand up for Chinese nationalism, to take up this duty under heaven’s mandate to save Taiwanese from oppression and terrible suffering.” Dressed in military fatigues and a beret, the lieutenant general called on officers to overthrow the “fraudulent DPP regime,”
‘NOT IMPOSSIBLE’: Acceptance to the UN would end the nation’s troubles, but it would be impossible to achieve without US backing, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun said The US might recognize Taiwan if war breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said yesterday while discussing politics with former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). Speaking on Chen’s program on Smile Radio, You reminisced about his agrarian childhood, studies, the founding of the Democratic Progressive Party in 1986 and his eight years as Yilan County commissioner. Chen’s appointment of You as premier in February 2002 marked several firsts, as he was Taiwan’s youngest premier, as well as the first from a farming background and first democratically elected county leader to hold the office. Asked to share his views on
ONLY EXCEPTIONS: The mayors of the two largest cities voiced concerns over hidden cases, while all other local governments are to follow eased CECC guidelines All local governments, with the exception of Taipei and New Taipei City, are to allow dine-in services at restaurants after the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Friday announced that it would on Tuesday lower a nationwide COVID-19 alert to level 2. The center on July 8 allowed the resumption of dining at restaurants nationwide — despite keeping the alert level at 3. At the time, this prompted all cities and counties, except Penghu Country, to keep local dine-in bans in place. Following Friday’s CECC announcement that COVID-19 prevention measures would be further relaxed, the Taipei and New Taipei City governments
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday rejected the claim Beijing has been making about Taiwan’s status, while thanking US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman for raising concerns about Taiwan during her meeting with Chinese officials. Sherman met with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) on a visit to Tianjin on Sunday and Monday, with Wang urging Washington not to infringe on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Taiwan is part of China, a fundamental fact that would never change, and China has the right to take any action needed to restrain Taiwanese independence, Wang said, urging Washington to abide
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