DIPLOMACY
Slovakia delegation to visit
A 10-member delegation led by Deputy Speaker of the Slovak National Council Milan Laurencik and President of the Bratislava Region Juraj Droba is to visit Taiwan from Sunday to Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. The pair will be joined by five Slovak lawmakers, including Peter Osusky, chairman of the Slovakia-Taiwan Parliamentary Group. Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) is set to honor Osusky with the Friendship Medal of Diplomacy in recognition of his promotion of bilateral relations, the ministry said, adding that Wu would also sign an agreement on judicial cooperation in civic matters with the delegation. This is the second contingent Slovakia has sent to Taiwan in six months, after a 43-member delegation led by the country’s deputy economic minister visited Taiwan in December last year.
CULTURE
Australian arts deal inked
The National Culture and Arts Foundation and the Australian Office in Taipei have signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance exchanges in the fields of art and culture. The agreement was signed in Taipei on Wednesday by Australian Representative to Taiwan Jenny Bloomfield and foundation chairwoman Lin Mun-lee (林曼麗), they said in a joint statement. The countries have agreed to establish programs to support and encourage exchanges between Taiwanese and Australian artists, especially those from indigenous backgrounds. They are also to support cooperation in a range of other areas, including the visual and performing arts, literature and professional education. Bloomfield said Australia and Taiwan have a long history of arts and cultural cooperation, adding that “First Wave,” an upcoming indigenous fashion exhibition scheduled to run from next month to September, would showcase the strong links between the indigenous arts, culture, and creative industries of Australia and Taiwan.
HIGHER EDUCATION
Local schools ranked
Six Taiwanese universities have been ranked among the 100 best in Asia, with National Taiwan University (NTU) placing in the 21st, the UK-based Times Higher Education said on Wednesday. Other top-ranked local schools include Taipei Medical University (29th), China Medical University (35th), Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (44th), Tsing Hua University (59th), and Asia University (78th). NTU dropped one spot from last year, while the number of Taiwanese universities in the top 100 decreased from eight to six. The report’s top 10 universities in Asia included Tsinghua University and Peking University in China, National University of Singapore, University of Hong Kong and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
CRIME
Photos of minors net jail term
The Taiwan High Court on Wednesday ruled that a man given a 104-year sentence for soliciting nude photos from girls as young as eight must serve at least six years in prison. The Supreme Court said that 26-year-old Lin He-chun (林和駿) enticed 81 girls to send him nude and obscene photos. Lin was handed an additional 34-month sentence for nine other offenses, including sharing nude photos of underage girls and committing sexual indecency with minors. The High Court ruled that Lin should serve a minimum of six years of his sentence, in addition to 18 months of the 34-month sentence, which can be commuted to a fine.
An exhibition demonstrating the rejuvenation of the indigenous Kuskus Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township (牡丹) opened at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s conservation station in Taipei on Thursday. Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said they have been promoting the use and development of forestry resources to local indigenous residents for eight years to drive regional revitalization. While modern conservation approaches mostly stem from western scientific research, eco-friendly knowledge and skills passed down through generations of indigenous people, who have lived in Taiwan for centuries, could be more suitable for the environment, he said. The agency’s Pingtung branch Director-General Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬)
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
Rallies supporting recall efforts targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers as well as a rally organized by the KMT opposing the recall campaigns are to take place in Taipei today. Traffic controls were in place on Taipei City Hall Road starting from 10pm last night, and would be in place on Jinan Road Sec 1 from 8am today, police said. Recall campaign groups in Taipei and New Taipei City advocating the recall of KMT legislators, along with the “Safeguard Taiwan Anti-Communist Alliance” have announced plans for motorcycle parades and public rallies in both cities today. Permission has been granted for campaigners to hold
M1A2T ABRAMS TANKS: Thirty-eight of the 108 armored vehicles were delivered in December last year, with the rest to be delivered between later this year and next year The military is to live stream a round of live-fire training sessions on Thursday featuring its newly delivered M1A2T Abrams tanks, allowing the public to witness the training results firsthand, the Ministry of National Defense said. Based on the ministry’s plan, the live-fire training session, scheduled to take place at an army tank training ground in the Kengzihkou (坑子口) area of Hsinchu County, is to feature the US-made armored vehicles firing their 120mm smoothbore guns at moving and stationary targets, while stationary or in motion. At least one senior government official is expected to preside over the round of training sessions, per
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