■ HEALTH
CDC begin vaccinations
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it has begun a nationwide program to provide free vaccinations against (A)H5N1 influenza, also known as bird flu. The program is scheduled to last until Sept. 30, it said. The CDC urged medical personnel in charge of disease control and prevention, animal quarantine officers, security officers at airports and ports, coast guard officers, and people who frequently visit bird-flu affected countries to get vaccinated. CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said a total of 190,000 doses of the vaccine that will expire at the end of November are available to the public during the one-month inoculation program. Although the vaccinations are free, recipients still need to pay registration fees and medical examination fees, he said. Chou also announced that seasonal flu vaccinations will begin on Oct. 1, with 2.98 million doses of government-funded vaccine available for high-risk groups.
■ RETAIL
Scarves scam unravels
The Fair Trade Commission yesterday fined a Taipei City retailer for claiming in advertisements that its scarves were 100 percent cashmere when in fact they were, at most, only 67.5 percent cashmere. The scarves, sold at the Vistarr International’s online store and Yahoo’s online auction site, claimed to be “100% Ring Pashmina,” “100% Ring Pashmina Cashmere” and “100% JUJU Baby Cashmere Ring Pashmina.” Taiwan Textile Research Institute tests found that only 67.5 percent of the fibers contained in the products had diameters smaller than 19 micrometers. The commission fined the company NT$50,000 for false advertising and ordered it to remove the misleading product names and phrases from its advertisements.
■ ARTS
Filmmaker honored
South Korea’s most prestigious film festival said yesterday it had chosen Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮) as its Asian Filmmaker of the Year. The Pusan International Film Festival praised Tsai’s work over the past three decades for pioneering unexplored areas that overcome the limitations of the art film industry. “His 30-year-long devotion to filmmaking has greatly influenced Asian cinema and made considerable contributions to enhance the global status of Asian cinema,” it said in a statement. “He is renowned for seeking fresh ways of communicating with his audience ... We can find the root of his endless spirit of challenging himself and the borderlines of art in his earlier works in the 1990s.” Malaysian-born Tsai is best known for Vive L’Amour that won the Golden Lion (best picture) award at the Venice Film Festival in 1994, and The River that won the Silver Bear/Special Jury Prize at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival.
■ RELIGION
University to host forum
The Huayen Forum of Globalization and the Seventh General Conference of World Buddhist Sangha Youth will take place from Saturday through Monday at the Sansia campus of National Taipei University. The events, to be organized by the Da Huayen Monastery and the Huayen Buddhist Community, will address the topic “Globalization in Buddhism: Ecological Sustainability of Nature and Comprehensive Harmony.” Other topics will include Buddhist practices and richness of mind in the New Era, the dialogue and collaboration between globalization and environmental protection efforts, and the dialogue between Buddhism and other religions.
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