ATHLETICS
Tai earns doctorate
Taiwanese badminton star Tai Tzu-ying (戴資穎) yesterday received her doctoral degree from the Graduate Institute of Sports Training at University of Taipei. Tai completed her oral defense last Thursday before leaving for the Indonesia Open, which starts today. Upon receiving her master’s degree from the university in 2018, Tai pursued doctoral studies to broaden her expertise in sports science. Tai participated in part of the program through online courses while competing abroad. “No matter how hard playing sports and training is, I must not give up my school work,” she said.
JUSTICE
Seoul DUI sentence upheld
The South Korean Supreme Court on Thursday last week upheld an eight-year prison sentence against a man who was accused of causing the death of a Taiwanese student in a drunk driving accident in 2020. The man, surnamed Kim, was driving under the influence of alcohol in Seoul on Nov. 6, 2020, when he ran a red light and hit Elaine Tseng (曾以琳), a Taiwanese student at Torch Trinity Graduate University, South Korean media reported. Tseng died in the accident. The verdict on Thursday was final and cannot be appealed, which means Kim, 53, must serve eight years in prison for causing Tseng’s death, Yonhap news agency said. Tseng’s mother, Shih Yu-ching (石宇慶), said in Taiwan that her family was relieved that the Supreme Court had turned down Kim’s appeal.
RECREATION
Pets reallowed in forests
The Council of Agriculture said it would allow pets to be brought to a greater number of forest areas as of Aug. 1, although with some limitations. Following a years-long pet ban to prevent the spread of rabies, the new rule, which is to continue through July 31, 2024, allows pets to enter the Neidong (內洞), Jhihben (知本) and Chihnan (池南) national forest recreation areas in New Taipei City, Taitung County and Hualien County respectively. Pet owners can also take their animals to Danong Dafu Forest Park (大農大富平地森林園區) in Hualien County following earlier relaxation of access to Linhousilin Forest Park (林後四林平地森林園區) in Pingtung County in 2020, the council said. Visitors who wish to bring their pets need to complete an entry affidavit, and provide pet registration and rabies vaccination certificates. Pets must remain in bags, cages or carts, or controlled with a leash of up to 1.5m while in the parks, it added.
ENTERTAINMENT
Philippine freedom day
About 5,000 people on Sunday attended a concert headlined by Taiwan-based Philippine rapper Angelito Victoriano Penuaga in New Taipei City to mark the 124th anniversary of Philippine independence. The Fun Run Joint Philippine Independence and Migrant Workers’ Day Celebration, the first large-scale Philippine independence celebrations in Taiwan, began with a run followed by a hip-hop dance competition, musical performances and speeches from New Taipei City and Philippine government officials. New Taipei City Labor Affairs Department Commissioner Chen Jui-chia (陳瑞嘉), who greeted the crowd in Filipino, praised the 27,000 attendees for their contributions and hard work in the industrial and domestic caregiver sectors. In a video message shown at the event, Manila Economic and Cultural Office Chairman Wilfredo B. Fernandez called on Filipinos to unite by moving forward together in harmony.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
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