POLITICS
Shen sweeps Yu’s steps
The release of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) legislator-at-large list on Wednesday had an unintended victim. Former DPP lawmaker Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄), wearing shorts and armed with a broom, yesterday turned up at singer-turned-lawmaker Yu Tian’s (余天) house. Shen had previously wagered that Yu would not be included on the safe part of the DPP’s legislator-at-large roster, which is compiled based on the share of the overall party vote. After Yu was included at No. 14 of 34 on the list — well within the range of what the DPP expects to be elected next year — Shen immediately said that he would live up to his promise to sweep Yu’s house.
IMMIGRATION
Development group to open
The New Immigrants’ Development Association is to be formally opened today in Taipei as it seeks to push for better immigrant welfare and more government resources to aid their cause, the group said in a statement released yesterday. The association said it will also push for a specialized government agency to handle issues related to immigrants, such as education, employment and care for immigrants’ children. The group added that it is time the government thought seriously about developing a set of more integrated immigration policies as, citing information previously released by the National Immigration Agency, the nation’s immigrant population will reach 1 million by the end of the year.
CULTURE
Borboa exhibition opens
An exhibition featuring 20 watercolors by Mexican expatriate artist Francisco Borboa began on Friday in Taipei, according to the Mexican Trade Services Documentation and Cultural Office in Taiwan. The month-long show of landscapes, titled “Contemplation,” is Borboa’s latest exhibition since one on religious art last year, said Martin Munoz Ledo Villegas, head of the Mexican office. The exhibition, on the 15th floor of the Taipei World Trade Center International Trade Building, focuses on four natural elements of daily life — mountains, water, cloud and fog — all of which are inspired by the scenery in Mexico, China and Taiwan, he added. Borboa, a devout Catholic, said he uses his art to express his love for God and also for Taiwan, the country in which he has lived for more than 20 years. “Life in Taiwan is very beautiful and Taiwan’s people are very lucky,” he said. “I’m very lucky to live here and I’m very happy, too.”
SPORT
Lu gets journal mention
Tennis ace Lu Yen-hsun (盧彥勳) has been included in this year’s Wimbledon Journal, an annual publication that records important events during the two-week tournament, according to Lu’s official Web site. “Lu. Who? Lu! There did seem to be only one way to defeat Andy Roddick at the All England Club recently and that was deep into a fifth set,” it says about Lu’s stunning victory over the former top-ranked American last year. The journal is one of the traditions of the prestigious tennis tournament and covers the pivotal scenes of each day of the previous year’s competition. Lu, who beat Roddick to advance to the men’s singles quarter-finals last year, appears on several pages of the journal. In one of them, his photo is seen next to top female players including Belgian Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova of Russia. The journal also introduces Lu’s family, including his chicken-farmer father. This year, Lu did not advance past the third round of the men’s singles after losing to French player Michael Llodra on Sunday last week.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
Weather conditions across Taiwan are expected to remain stable today, but cloudy to rainy skies are expected from tomorrow onward due to increasing moisture in the atmosphere, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). Daytime highs today are expected to hit 25-27°C in western Taiwan and 22-24°C in the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, data on the CWA website indicated. After sunset, temperatures could drop to 16-17°C in most parts of Taiwan. For tomorrow, precipitation is likely in northern Taiwan as a cloud system moves in from China. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 25°C, the CWA said. Starting Monday, areas
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
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