■ TOURISM
PRC bank chief visits
People's Bank of China Deputy Governor Su Ning (蘇寧) arrived in Taiwan yesterday, leading a 22-member delegation to attend a seminar on the development of bills finance markets on both sides of the Strait. Su was scheduled to arrive last week for the seminar but postponed the trip because of the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan from Aug. 30 through Friday. Su said at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport that the Dalai Lama's visit to Taiwan was “regrettable” because it had “adversely affected peace in the Strait.” Nonetheless, Su said, his presence in Taipei shows that Beijing was still willing to make every effort to maintain the positive momentum of cross-strait relations. Aside from attending the seminar, which is starting today, Su will visit financial and banking institutions and travel to central and southern Taiwan during his stay.
■ SPORTS
Prizes to be auctioned
The Kaohsiung Organizing Committee said yesterday it would auction 7,803 unclaimed prizes from the World Games lucky draws and donate the proceeds to Typhoon Morakot relief efforts. The unclaimed prizes include the grand prize, a house, and the first prize, an imported car, said Emily Hsu (??, chief executive officer of the World Games 2009 Kaohsiung Organizing Committee. The Kaohsiung City Government is conducting a comprehensive review of the games and will publish the results when completed, Hsu said. The auction of the unclaimed prizes will be held at the end of this month after the review is completed, Hsu said. Of the 8,573 prizes that were up for grabs in the World Games draws, only 770 were claimed, Hsu said.
■ FISHING
Sierra Leone to deport 11
A court in Sierra Leone on Friday ordered the deportation of 11 fishermen from Taiwan after their boats were intercepted in the west African nation's exclusive zone, immigration officials said on Sunday. Each of the men was fined US$1,000 and were to be deported yesterday, the officials said on condition of anonymity. The two trawlers carrying the 11 men were caught in late July by a joint Sierra Leone Navy and US Coast Guard team patrolling the country's territorial waters. US Ambassador June Carter Perry recently said at an event in the capital, Freetown, that illegal fishing, drug trafficking and the smuggling of commodities were costing Sierra Leone US$100 million a year. “An enforcement of commercial fishing regulations could be major sources of duly needed income for the government and people of Sierra Leone,” she said.
■ TOURISM
Sun Moon Lake activities
A series of promotional activities will be launched to attract visitors to Sun Moon Lake as mounting concern about a possible swine flu outbreak takes a toll on the region's tourist industry, an official said yesterday. Tseng Kuo-chi (曾國基), director of the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration, said that average hotel occupancy in the region fell 15 percent year-on-year in the second half of last month. The activities will include a free lakeside concert by renowned violinist Lin Cho-liang (林昭亮) tomorrow and a mass cross-lake swimming contest on Sept. 20. On Oct. 2 and Oct. 3, fireworks shows will be staged near Sun Moon Lake to mark Mid-Autumn Festival. An international marathon will be held on Oct. 11 at Sun Moon Lake, with 8,000 athletes and cheerleaders from home and abroad expected to participate.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
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
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