■SOCIETY
TES hosts summer fair
The Taipei European School (TES) welcomes everyone to take part in its annual summer fair today at its Shilin campus on Wenlin Road. Fairgoers will have opportunities to pick up bargains goods such as second-hand electronic equipment, books in a variety of languages, household items, clothing for all ages, baby items and toys. The fair will also feature amusement rides and story-telling booths for children. The fair runs from 11am to 3pm. Admission is NT$20 for adults and free for people under 18.
■CRIME
Husky’s crime wave ends
A man was dumbfounded to see a TV report about his lost husky stealing chocolate bars from a store in Taichung County, local media reported yesterday. The man, surnamed Chen, watched a TVBS report on Thursday night about a dog that had been spotted going into a convenience store and taking two chocolate bars. Footage provided by the store camera showed the dog following a woman into the store on Tuesday night. The storekeeper did not stop the dog until it had chewed on the chocolate bars because he thought it belonged to the woman and she would pay for the candy. But the woman said it was not her dog. The storekeeper took the dog to a nearby police station, believing it was lost. As soon as Chen saw the TVBS report, he went to the police station to reclaim his errant pooch, the TV station said. “Sunny broke free of the leash and went missing while I was walking it several days ago,” Chen was quoted by TVBS as saying, after he went to the convenience store to apologize.
■SOCIETY
Taichung warns dog owners
The Taichung City Government is now offering clean-up sheets for dog droppings at 59 public trash cans in an effort to help keep the city clean. The city’s Environmental Protection Bureau said yesterday that it came up with the idea of providing the sheets made from recycled newspapers after a growing number of complaints about dog droppings polluting the environment. The bureau said it had issued 1,235 warning tickets and 11 fines since it began cracking down on Sunday on people who don’t clean up after their dogs on the street. Those who fail to carry supplies to clean up their dog’s mess can be fined between NT$600 and NT$3,000, while those who fail to clean up the feces can be fined between NT$1,200 and NT$6,000, the bureau said.
■CRIME
Kong cleared of jobbery
Former Financial Supervisory Commission chairman Kong Jaw-sheng (龔照勝) was found not guilty of jobbery by Taipei judges yesterday in a case stemming from his time as chairman of Taiwan Sugar Corp (Taisugar). Prosecutors had sought a seven-year jail term for Kong after they indicted him on Aug. 31, 2006. Prosecutors said Kong had failed to comply with legal procurement regulations when he headed the state-run company in 2003 and 2004. The charges stemmed from his granting a company exclusive distribution rights to market upscale collagen cosmetics products and the opening of a coffee shop. Kong had also been charged with improperly hiring his sister-in-law to work for Taisugar as an adviser at a monthly salary of US$3,000. As of press time, the prosecutors said they had yet to decide on whether to appeal the ruling.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
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