DIPLOMACY
Office marks Gandhi’s birthday
The India-Taipei Association yesterday posted a clip on Facebook to celebrate the birthday of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. Association director-general Gourangalal Das narrated the clip in Mandarin, calling on people in India, Taiwan and around the world to “protect the world and our beautiful home with peace, democracy and freedom.” Gandhi’s Oct. 2 birthday has been declared the “International Day of Non-violence” by the UN, Das said, adding that Gandhi’s philosophy is “the asset of all mankind.” India has become the world’s biggest exporter of rice, biggest producer of medicine and the biggest supplier of software, he said. However, people must not forget Gandhi’s aspiration and should put others before themselves to create a sustainable and prosperous world, he added. The association handles bilateral exchanges in the absence of diplomatic ties between Taipei and New Delhi.
SOCIETY
Expo to be held in US
The Taiwan Expo USA is to take place from Wednesday to Friday next week at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, the event’s organizers said on Thursday. The expo is to showcase Taiwan’s technological strength and rich culture, they said. It would be the first time that a Taiwan Expo would be held in the US, they added. Eighty-three Taiwanese firms would showcase their leading technologies, products and solutions, said James Huang (黃志芳), chairman of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), which is cohosting the event with the Bureau of Foreign Trade. The expo would include 10 themed pavilions covering products and services in several segments including 5G, smart city, smart vehicles, smart healthcare, aerospace technology, and Taiwanese culture and food, TAITRA said. A series of forums would also be held, while former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) and former Academia Sinica president Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) would deliver speeches, it said. The Taiwanese culture pavilion would showcase the nation’s temple culture, said the General Association of Chinese Culture, which is to host the pavilion.
FOREIGN AID
Computers donated to Turkey
The government has donated 42 computers to two schools in the Turkish capital’s Sincan District in an effort to contribute to the development of education in Turkey, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara said. The computers were formally handed over on Friday by mission Director Volkan Huang Chih-yang (黃志揚), the mission said in a statement on Saturday. Huang said Taiwan has contributed to several other educational projects in Turkey, including the construction of schools and community centers, to help the development of education in the country.
CULTURE
Poet wins Equador Prize
Hakka doctor and poet Tzeng Kuei-hai (曾貴海) has won the Equador Prize for international poetry at the Guayaquil Ileana Espinel Cedeno International Festival of Poetry, the Council of Hakka Affairs said on Saturday. The 76-year-old has written 23 books spanning the genres of poetry, essay, social commentary and lyrics, the council said. Tzeng is known for his advocacy of democracy, human rights, cultural conservation and environmental issues. The council has translated his works into English and Spanish under a program to introduce the nation’s Hakka writers to an international audience, it said.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS