■ HEALTH
HIV births declining: DOH
The number of babies born with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is declining, with statistics showing that since last year there have been no recorded births of HIV-infected infants, the Department of Health reported on Tuesday. Department statistics showed that Taiwan had recorded five cases of babies born with HIV in 2005 and four in 2006. As of Nov. 30, the number of children born with HIV stood at 27, the figures showed. The department in 2005 implemented a number of measures to stem mother-to-infant HIV transmission during pregnancy. The measures focused on three major areas — disease screening, medical treatment and healthcare. As a result, since 2005, 95 babies born to HIV-positive mothers have tested free of the disease, the department said. The department estimates that the risk of mother-to-infant HIV transmission during pregnancy would drop from 45 percent to 2 percent if the mothers adopt preventative medical care.
■ SOCIETY
‘Chaos’ is word of the year
“Chaos” has been chosen as the word of the year after a turbulent 12 months marred by high-profile corruption scandals implicating former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and top officials. Among 61,600 people who took part in a telephone poll, nearly 8,000 voted for the Chinese character luan (亂, chaos), followed by pian (騙, lie) and can (慘, miserable), said the Chinese-language United Daily News, a co-organizer of the survey. Also on the list of the top 10 annual characters were “corrupt,” “depressed” and “love” — the only positive word of the year.
■ DIPLOMACY
AIT closes for Christmas
All offices of the American Institute (AIT) in Taiwan will be closed next Thursday and Friday for Christmas. This includes the Consular Section, the Commercial Section, the Agricultural Trade Office, the American Cultural Center and the AIT Kaohsiung branch office. All offices will reopen on Dec. 29 at the usual time.
■ CRIME
Egg thrower fined
Chiayi resident Lee Chung-ching (李仲清) was fined NT$1,000 on Tuesday for throwing eggs at the Presidential Office. Taipei District Court said that Lee, 57, arrived outside the Presidential Office on July 21 to protest against the government’s policy to lift the ban on chipmakers relocating factories to China. Lee purchased 12 eggs at a convenience store and threw them at the Presidential Office. He was immediately arrested by military police and transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, where he was indicted on charges of making a public insult.
■ JUSTICE
Cheng Yung-chin cleared
The Hsinchu District Court on Tuesday dismissed a corruption case involving Hsinchu County Commissioner Cheng Yung-chin (鄭永金). In its verdict, the court said judges had dismissed the case against Cheng as the evidence presented by prosecutors was insufficient to support the charges. In the same case, Hsinchu County Secretary-General Chan Chien-tung (詹前通) and employee Huang Chin-chiu (黃金球) were sentenced to five months and 12 years in jail respectively. Cheng, Chan and Huang were indicted by Hsinchu District prosecutors in August 2006 on allegations they accepted a NT$1 million (US$30,000) bribe in return for helping expedite a construction company’s application for a construction license.
■ TELEVISION
NCC targets ad
The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it had asked 17 TV stations to reschedule the broadcast of a motorcycle commercial until after 9pm as the content was deemed inappropriate for minors. NCC spokesperson Lee Ta-sung (李大嵩) said the commission had entrusted an independent committee to review the commercial, which showed a young couple getting into a fight on an overpass. The committee of media researchers and children’s rights advocates said scenes in the commercial were likely to set a bad example for young people, as the commercial shows a person dropping a handbag from the overpass into the traffic below. A person then speeds over a railway crossing to retrieve the bag. In addition to rescheduling the broadcast, the committee said a warning must be added to the commercial.
■ SOCIETY
Kaohsiung to hold parade
For the first time, Kaohsiung City’s New Year celebration will feature a large-scale balloon parade, a firework display over a Ferris wheel and a New Year’s Eve concert, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) said yesterday. At a press conference in Taipei, Chen said the parade was scheduled to begin at 2pm on Dec. 27 along Time Avenue (時代大道) with about 1,000 people from some 20 performance groups and cheer-leading squads from the Kaohsiung Organizing Committee of the 2009 World Games marching down the 1km-long road. The parade is expected to attract about 150,000 people, she said. The event will be followed by a New Year’s Eve concert starting at 7pm on Dec. 31, with highlights such as a performance by Van Fan (范逸臣), the lead actor of this year’s hit movie Cape No. 7, she said.
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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