SOCIETY
Driver crashes into 7-Eleven
A learner driver in Miaoli County crashed into the front of a 7-Eleven convenience store after mistaking the vehicle’s gas pedal for the brake, local authorities said yesterday. The Miaoli Police Bureau’s Toufen Precinct said that the 25-year-old man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was practicing driving with his mother on Sunday on Yongzhen Road in Toufen City (頭份), when at about 3pm, Chiu pulled into the parking lot of a 7-Eleven. Rather than apply the brakes, he accidentally stepped on the accelerator, causing the vehicle to lurch forward into the store’s front glass windows. No one was injured, as the seating area where the windowed shattered was empty, police said. Chiu, who tested negative for alcohol, was fined NT$18,000 for driving without a license. He must also compensate the store for damages, police said.
SEISMOLOGY
Quake shakes Chiayi County
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County in southern Taiwan at 3:51am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the quake was 41.8km east-northeast of Chiayi County Hall in Meishan Township (梅山) at a depth of 12.3km, CWA data showed. Its intensity, which measures the actual effects of a seismic event, was the highest in Chiayi County, Chiayi City, and neighboring Yunlin and Nantou counties, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in nearby areas, including Tainan, Taichung and Changhua County. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries following the quake. Aftershocks are not expected, CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) said. The quake was a “fracture zone earthquake” caused by tectonic collisions and therefore unlikely to cause aftershocks, he said. The earthquake was “unrelated” to the Meishan (梅山) fault, a geological feature closely associated with the 1906 Meishan earthquake — the nation’s third-most deadly seismic event — which resulted in the deaths of about 1,260 people, he said. In April, Wu said that a Meishan fault earthquake had not occurred in more than 120 years, so the “accumulated potential energy is indeed worth paying attention to.”
SOCIETY
Tainan hosts 500-table feast
The Tainan City Government on Sunday hosted a nearly 500-table banquet featuring dishes showcasing the city’s cuisine. The large-scale indoor feast at the International Conference Center represented the culmination of “Tainan 400,” a series of cultural events organized by the government to promote the city. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) welcomed guests at the banquet, tickets for which were advertised at NT$1,200 per diner. Four renowned Taiwanese chefs collaborated on the menu — Wang Yi-yung (汪義勇), Shih Tsung-jung (施宗榮), Hung Chun-nan (洪俊男) and Kuo Yu-hung (郭育宏). It leaned heavily on classic Tainan flavors. The dishes included “Tainan-style Buddha jumps over the wall” (a rich soup), “Shaohsing sea prawns” and “Oily grouper” (a sea bass dish). Entertainment was provided by Dutch opera singer Martin Hurkens and a guzheng (古箏) musical ensemble from Tainan National University of the Arts. A guzheng is a traditional Chinese plucked string instrument. Organizers originally planned to serve only 400 tables, each seating 10 diners, but high demand for tickets led them to increase the total number of tables to 488.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
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