■POLITICS
DPP to participate in rally
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it would continue with a plan to hold a rally scheduled for Aug. 30 despite a suggestion by some party members that the party should not participate in light of a scandal over alleged money laundering by the former first lady. DPP Department of Culture and Information Director Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) told reporters that the decision was made during the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting yesterday. Committee members suggested the party continue with the rally to boost morale, Cheng said. The rally, which aims to protest against President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) pro-China policies, is organized by several pro-localization groups. It is scheduled to begin at 3pm on Aug. 30 and end in front of the Presidential Office. The date of the protest was chosen to coincide with the Ma administration’s 100th day in office.
■HEALTH
Enterovirus warning issued
Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (楊秋興) yesterday reminded county residents to be on the alert against a possible enterovirus resurgence following the start of the new school year on Sept. 1. A total of 346 serious enterovirus cases have been documented in Taiwan so far this year, including 39 cases in Kaohsiung County. Yang said that although the outbreak has been brought under control, with no new cases being reported in the county in the last six weeks, history shows that the start of the new school year often leads to a second wave of new enterovirus cases. Yang urged parents to encourage their children to frequently wash their hands to avoid infection, and to maintain a clean environment in and around their homes.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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