SPORTS
Ethiopian runners win
Ethiopia’s Gadise Mulu Demissie set a new women’s record at the New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon yesterday, with compatriot Masresha Bere Bisetegn coming out top in the men’s race. Demissie finished in 2 hours, 29 minutes and 25 seconds, breaking fellow Ethiopian Bekelech Gudeta Borecha’s 2023 course record by 12 seconds. Bisetegn’s time of 2:13:47 was 4 minutes and 16 seconds slower than the men’s record set by Kenya’s Cyrus Kipkemboi Mutai last year. Chou Ting-yin (周庭印) was the top Taiwanese in the men’s race, placing ninth with a time of 2:26:18. Joymei Lee (李佳玫) was the fastest Taiwanese in the women’s race, finishing eighth with a time of 2:57:03. The organizers said 11,000 runners from 31 countries took part in the marathon and the shorter challenge runs. The annual race features a route along the city’s northeast coast.
Photo: Chen Yi-shan, Taipei Times
TRANSPORT
Railway chair resigns
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications on Saturday confirmed that Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) chairman Du Wei (杜微) has tendered his resignation, citing plans for his personal career. Du, 65, said that he had served the railway for 40 years and was ready to spend more time with his family. Du started as an intern at Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA), when it was a government agency, and was its last director. When TRA was corporatized in January last year, Du was appointed chairman. Shortly before TRA’s corporatization, Du said that the company could shed its short-term debts by next year and turn a profit by 2028. However, TRC suffered record losses of NT$13.8 billion (US$418.8 million) last year, while its on-time performance rate was 93.5 percent, falling short of the expected 97 percent.
ENTERTAINMENT
Cinema veteran passes
Veteran cinematographer Lin Tsan-ting (林贊庭) has passed away at the age of 94, Taiwan’s Chinese Society of Cinematographers (CSC) said on Saturday. Lin died on Friday at Taipei’s Tri-Service General Hospital, where he was admitted after having a heart attack, the CSC said. Lin received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 58th Golden Horse Awards in 2021 alongside director Tsai Yang-ming (蔡揚名). The late cinematographer, best known for working on Taiwanese Hoklo films, was the first cinematographer to receive the award. He began his career in 1949 as one of the first apprentices at Agriculture Education Motion Pictures, which evolved into the Central Motion Picture Corp in 1954. Learning from techniques used in Japan, Lin helped to transition Taiwan’s film industry to color, the committee said. Over the years, Lin worked on more than 130 films and won four Golden Horse Awards for Best Cinematography.
ENTERTAINMENT
Martial arts star passes
Former martial arts actor Chang Chen-huan (張振寰) has passed away at the age of 65. Chang’s body was found on Friday by authorities responding to reports of a strong odor emanating from a home in Taipei, police said. Preliminary investigations ruled out third-party involvement in Chang’s passing, police said, adding that details of his death have yet to be established. Chang rose to prominence in the Taiwanese movie scene since his debut in 1976 in a fantasy film. Since then, the veteran actor specialized in action roles in fantasy movies and television shows, as well as period pieces in the wuxia (武俠, martial arts) genre, before roles dried up for him due to his age.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS