Sat, Jul 07, 2007 page3

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  ■ SOCIETY

  Chess tournament begins

  The 2007 World Computer Chinese Chess Championship will begin today at two universities in Tainan, the organizers of the event said yesterday. The three-day competition is being jointly organized by Chang-Jung Christian University, National University of Tainan and the Taiwanese Association for Artificial Intelligence. It will be divided into two sections with 15 teams from the US, France, China and Taiwan competing in Group A using self-developed computer programs, a spokesman said. In Group B, nearly 100 members of the public from Taiwan and China will play against computers. The winners from each section will challenge Taiwan's best Chinese chess player, Wu Kuei-lin (吳貴臨). The event also includes a forum in which academics from Taiwan and Japan are invited to discuss issues concerning computer Chinese chess, the spokesman said.

  ■ HEALTH

  Dengue fever alarm sounded

  A 68-year-old woman in Tainan contracted the first case of indigenous dengue hemorrhagic fever this year, the Center of Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a more serious form of the disease that can often prove fatal. The woman fell ill last Wednesday, and was reported as a possible dengue case on the same day, the CDC said. Residents of Tainan and surrounding areas are urged to be vigilant about clearing up puddles of water where the mosquito that spreads the disease can breed, especially given the rainy weather in recent days. "The alarm needs to be sounded for the Tainan area," CDC deputy director Chou Chih-hao (周志浩) said.

  ■ BUSINESS

  TTLC wins 42 quality medals

  The Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp (TTLC) announced yesterday that it won 42 quality medals at this year's world quality selections for wine and food products organized by Monde Selection in Barcelona, Spain. The medals brought home by TTLC include the International Quality Trophy, which was awarded to five beer products made by the state-owned company. The company's victory in the world contest is the culmination of its successful improvements to its wine and tobacco products, and will sharpen its competitiveness in international markets, the spokesman said. Monde Selection is an international institute for quality selections founded in 1961 and is the most representative and oldest organization in the field of quality selections worldwide.

  ■ CRIME

  Bogus officials arrested

  The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) announced on Thursday that it had arrested two men who disguised themselves as national security officials in an attempt to pressure government agencies to prolong their rights to exploit a mine in Kaohsiung. The two suspects, Chen Hsing-hung (陳信宏) and Chen Kuo-hui (陳國輝), were detained by CIB agents after their true identities were discovered by the National Security Bureau on information provided by Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) officials. The pair admitted to having disguised themselves as security officials and using false name cards during a meeting with the EPA secretary-general, during which they tried to pressure EPA personnel to agree to extend their mining rights. The two men claimed that they are shareholders of a mining company registered in Kaohsiung County, and pressured officials to allow the company to continue operations.

  ■ CRIME

  Man tried for trafficking

  A Taiwanese man is set to go on trial in Vietnam this month charged with trafficking Vietnamese women in Malaysia, Vietnamese state media said yesterday. Tsai Hsien, 46, is to go on trial with five Vietnamese, including his wife, in Ho Chi Minh City on July 26, the Vietnam News Agency said. Investigators in Vietnam said they had evidence that the group had arranged fake marriages for more than 100 women, but then forced the women to remarry or work as prostitutes after coming to Malaysia. They said the women were sold for between US$1,500 and US$2,000 each. If found guilty, Tsai faces up to 20 years in jail.

  ■ PUBLIC SAFETY

  EPA to limit chemical use

  The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) will soon limit the use of nonylphenol chemicals (NPs) in all food stuffs, wax and detergents, setting a ceiling concentration of 0.1 percent, EPA officials said yesterday. The new regulation, which should come into effect in September, was announced amid increasing concerns over the health hazards posed by NPs, they said. Officials revealed that the EPA is also discussing the possibility of declaring NPs and nonylphenol ethoxylates -- compounds made from NPs -- hazardous materials, in the hope that this classification would facilitate further restrictions on the use of NPs. The chemical structure of NPs is very similar to that of estrogen, they noted, and male animals that ingest such chemicals after they are discharged into the environment have proven susceptible to reproductive difficulties, growth retardation and hormonal disruption. The chemicals have also been implicated in a number of human health issues, including infertility and breast cancer. In a survey by National Taiwan University, researchers collected 75 common cleaners and found that 66 percent of them contain NPs or NP-related chemicals.
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