■ RETAIL
Ma launches MIT label
Consumers can now buy “made in Taiwan” (MIT) products at select convenience stores and hypermarkets around the country. President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday presented letters of authorization to 14 chain stores that offer “MIT” label products. The president said the MIT label was a guarantee of product origin and quality. The government doesn’t only care about high-tech companies and big enterprises, he said, but is also duty-bound to promote all locally made products. The Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to hold MIT promotions and sales events and has collaborated with distributors to make MIT items more accessible to consumers nationwide, he said.
■ POLITICS
Chen's son sues magazine
The son of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday filed a civil lawsuit against Next Magazine, demanding NT$2 million (US$62,300) in compensation after the weekly published a story last week alleging that he had solicited the services of a prostitute. Accompanied by his lawyer, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中) filed a suit against the magazine, editor-in-chief, Chiu Ming-hui (邱銘輝), editor Hsu Wen-cheng (徐文正) and reporter Chen Su-yu (陳肅瑜) at Kaohsiung District Court. Chen Chih-chung also demanded that Next Magazine run a half-page apology in the Chinese-language United Daily News, China Times, Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper) and Apple Daily. The lawyer said his client decided to file a civil rather than a criminal lawsuit because it was hard to prove Next had intentionally attempted to defame his client’s reputation.
■ TRANSPORTATION
Air service talks to resume
Taiwan and China have agreed to reopen negotiations to try to settle a dispute over the destination of new flights across the Taiwan Strait, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) told a news conference on Sunday. Yeh said talks would reopen in a week or two. The two sides agreed in May to increase the number of weekly cross-strait flights from 270 to 370, without identifying the flight destinations. China proposed this month that 20 of them would be from Taiwan to Xiamen and Fuzhou, with most of the flights taking off late at night. Taiwanese officials rejected the proposal, demanding that the new services should be to higher-traffic areas like Shanghai, and that the flight schedule be changed to more convenient times. Beijing had initially refused to reopen negotiations.
■ MILITARY
Air Force ‘negligent’
The Air Force yesterday admitted that parts of a special aircraft used by the president and the premier for domestic trips had not been changed periodically since it came into service 18 years ago. The Control Yuan launched an investigation into the condition of a Fokker-50 after two incidents in the past year. In November, smoke and flames burst from the tires as the Fokker, with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on board, taxied on arunway. In March, the same aircraft failed to take off twice as it was carrying Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) from Kaohsiung to Taipei. The Chinese-language Apple Daily reported yesterday that the Control Yuan had ruled that the Air Force had failed to ensure good maintenance of the aircraft and accused it of neglecting the safety of the heads of state. Air Force spokesman Lieutenant General Pan Kung-hsiao (潘恭孝) said the Air Force would carry out a comprehensive overhaul of personnel, maintenance and equipment to ensure the plane’s safety.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
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