CIVIL DEFENSE
Nuclear exercise planned
Taiwan’s annual nuclear emergency exercise is to take place tomorrow and on Friday at the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Shihmen District (石門) and the surrounding area, the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) said on Monday. The drill is to simulate an emergency response at the plant, which is in the process of being decommissioned, in the event of an earthquake or volcanic eruption while the level 2 COVID-19 alert is ongoing, the AEC said in a statement. The drill tomorrow is to be confined to the plant and focus on how workers can minimize the impact of volcanic ash on equipment, it said. The second day of the exercise is to be a simulation of providing medical assistance to people exposed to radiation, monitoring environmental radiation and evacuating residents from the area, including those in quarantine due to COVID-19, it added. The drill is also to test the emergency notification system, including sending text message alerts to residents in New Taipei City’s Jinshan (金山), Shihmen and Sanjhih (三芝) districts at about 10am on Friday morning, the AEC said.
SPORTS
Chou to lead team
Taiwan’s top male badminton player Chou Tien-chen (周天成) is to lead the national team at two upcoming major international events to be held later this month and next month, the Sudirman Cup and Thomas & Uber Cup, the nation’s badminton association said yesterday. Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and Lee Yang (李洋), who won gold in the men’s doubles at the Tokyo Olympics on July 31, and men’s singles No. 2 Wang Tzu-wei (王子維) would only play at the Thomas & Uber Cup from Oct. 9 to 17 in Denmark, the association said. World No. 1 and Olympic silver medalist in the women’s singles Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) would not take part in either event and Pai Yu-po (白馭珀) would play in the women’s singles at the Thomas & Uber Cup, it said. Other Taiwanese scheduled to take part in the Sudirman Cup and/or the Thomas & Uber Cup include men’s doubles pairings Lu Ching-yao (盧敬堯) and Yang Po-han (楊博涵); Lee Jhe-huei (李哲輝) and Yang Po-hsuan (楊博軒); and women’s doubles pairing Hsu Ya-chiing (許雅晴) and Hu Ling-fang (胡綾芳), it added. The Sudirman Cup is the world mixed team badminton championship that takes place every two years. This year’s event is being held in Finland from Sept. 26 to Oct. 3.
ART
Project adds to road’s allure
The South Link Highway is already renowned for its natural beauty, but a new project has added to the allure of traveling the road connecting Taitung and Pingtung counties with 14 unique art installations. The “Nanhui (South Link) Art Project,” which is to run until Nov. 14, is aimed at presenting a different side of the 100km road by highlighting its many Aboriginal communities that have rich culture and art to be explored, curator Biung Ismahasan said. “Each artwork is used as a coordinate, allowing travelers to explore Nanhui from this point of view,” Ismahasan said. The themes of the artworks, created by both international and local artists, are diverse — ranging from a totem made of sand and gravel from Taitung beaches to a giant pair of quintessential Taiwanese blue and white flip-flops. The artworks, which have been displayed in many parts of the world, heighten awareness about cultural diversity in a peaceful way, said the Israel Economic and Cultural Office, which partnered with the Taitung County Government and other groups to organize the event.
‘ANGRY’: Forgetting the humiliations and sacrifices of ‘the people of the Republic of China’ experienced disqualified Lai from being president, Ma Ying-jeou said Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized President William Lai (賴清德) over what he called “phrasing that downplayed Japan’s atrocities” against China during World War II. Ma made the remarks in a post on Facebook on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Ma said he was “angry and disappointed” that Lai described the anniversary as the end of World War II instead of a “victory in the war of resistance” — a reference to the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). The eight-year war was a part of World War II, in which Japan and the other Axis
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday announced a ban on all current and former government officials from traveling to China to attend a military parade on Sept. 3, which Beijing is to hold to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War. "This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and the Republic of China’s victory in the War of Resistance [Against Japan]," MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a regular news briefing in Taipei. To prevent Beijing from using the Sept. 3 military parade and related events for "united
‘OFFSHORE OPERATIONS’: Also in Dallas, Texas, the Ministry of Economic Affairs inaugurated its third Taiwan Trade and Investment Center to foster closer cooperation The 2025 Taiwan Expo USA opened on Thursday in Dallas, Texas, featuring 150 Taiwanese companies showcasing their latest technologies in the fields of drones, smart manufacturing and healthcare. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), the event’s organizer, said the exhibitors this year include Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (Foxconn), the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer; AUO; PC brand Asustek Computer; and drone maker Thunder Tiger. In his opening speech, TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said he expected Texas to become a world-class center for innovation and manufacturing as US technology companies from Silicon Valley and Taiwanese manufacturers form an industrial cluster
A 20-year-old man yesterday evening was electrocuted and fell to his death after he climbed a seven-story-high electricity tower to photograph the sunset, causing a wildfire on Datong Mountain (大同山) in New Taipei City’s Shulin District (樹林), the Taoyuan Police Department said today. The man, surnamed Hsieh (謝), was accompanied on an evening walk by a 20-year-old woman surnamed Shang (尚) who remained on the ground and witnessed the incident, capturing a final photograph of her friend sitting atop the tower before his death, an initial investigation showed. Shang then sought higher ground to call for help, police said. The New Taipei