■ Philately
New stamps launch exhibit
Chunghwa Post Co. will issue new stamps to mark the 18th Asian International Stamp Exhibition, which will be held from Aug. 19 to Aug. 24 at the Taipei World Trade Center, a spokesman said. In addition to two sets of stamps featuring Taiwan's natural scenery and cultural heritage issued earlier this year, Chunghwa Post will issue a third set on Aug. 19 featuring flora and fauna species to coincide with the opening of the exhibition. Between Aug. 20 and Aug. 24, the spokesman said, a specially designed set of stamps will also be issued every day. The exhibition is expected to attract 100,000 visitors, the spokesman said. The Formosan black bear was chosen in a public competition to be the event's mascot, while the Taipei 101 skyscraper has been designated to represent the event.
■ Transport
Souvenir tickets on sale
To celebrate the Taipei MRT system's 2 billionth customer, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) is selling 3,500 MRT Souvenir Tickets, beginning with an online presale of 1,000 tickets today on the MRT Web site. The sale starts on Saturday next week and lasts until Aug. 24 at MRT souvenir shops at Taipei Main Station and 11 other stations, including Tamsui, Shipai, Jiantan, Zhongshan, Guting, Gongguan, Nanshijiao, Kunyang, Taipei City Hall, Zhongxiao Fuxing and Xinpu stations. The price for the souvenir ticket is NT$300. The TRTC said that the online presale was to begin at 9am today with a purchase limit of two tickets per person. The ticket can be used twice and can be retained after it is used up. The valid period of the ticket is four months. For more information, see the TRTC Web site at www.trtc.com.tw.
■ Society
Oranges get diet test
Kukeng (古坑) township in Yunlin County is trying to recruit 30 obese volunteers to undergo tests to see whether green oranges grown in the township can help them shed some weight. The township government announced that the volunteers -- 15 men and 15 women -- will be given a recipe for making beverages using green oranges as the main ingredient. Examinations will be conducted after one month to see if the green oranges are effective in helping the volunteers lose weight. A spokesman for the township government claimed that freshly squeezed juice from green oranges, when mixed with yogurt, makes a delicious drink ideal for weight watchers. Although the Department of Health has expressed doubts over the claims, the township still hopes to use the tests to prove the effects of the fruit in helping obese people to lose weight.
■ Tourism
Taipei chooses new logo
The Taipei City Government will use the logo "Taipei Wonderful (台北玩得瘋)" to attract both local and foreign tourists, city government officials said. According to Bureau of Transportation officials, the logo was chosen through an online competition in which 1,282 people participated. The author of the logo, Hsieh Yao-cho (謝曜州), who gained 6,056 votes from an online poll among 17,000 voters, will receive a prize of NT$10,000 (US$314) worth of gift vouchers for a department store. The officials said the Bureau of Transportation will also hold a lucky draw among the people who participated in the vote, and will inform the 1,200 winners via e-mail.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
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