■POLITICS
Ex-GIO official impeached
The Control Yuan yesterday impeached former Presidential Office press relations director Tsai Chung-li (蔡仲禮) over graft irregularities and dishonest disclosure, referring the case to the Judicial Yuan’s Commission on the Disciplinary Sanctions of Functionaries. Tsai was charged with collecting more in rental subsidies than he was entitled to when he was an official with the Government Information Office in its office in Washington between August 2005 and July 2008, with the amount totaling US$56,000. The Control Yuan also found that Tsai failed to include his estate property in the US in his property disclosure report when he served in the Presidential Office in August 2008. Tsai was sentenced to 10 months in prison and put on probation for three years last month after the Taipei District Court found him guilty of forgery.
■TRANSPORTATION
Circuit caused shutdown
Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) yesterday said a fire on the MRT Wenhu Line on Monday was caused by a circuit malfunction, adding that it will seek compensation from the system builder and contractor as stated in the contract. Taipei City Secretariat Deputy Director Tan Gwa-guang (譚國光) said a circuit malfunction at Wende Station caused sparks and burned the rubber surrounding the cable. The incident happened at 1:38pm, interrupting service for almost 40 minutes. Service resumed at 2:16pm when back-up systems switched on. Tan said there were three trains at station platforms when the incident happened, and no passengers were trapped between stations. He said the TRTC would strengthen inspection measures for circuits and the power system to prevent a reoccurrence.
■POLITICS
Expo application approved
The Ministry of the Interior yesterday approved an application by former premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) to visit China from May 10 to May 18 to preside over a lighting ceremony at the inauguration of the Taiwan pavilion at the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, ministry officials said. The ministry gave the green light to Liu’s application on the grounds that the planned visit is a cross-strait cultural exchange only, and involves no national security issues, the officials said. The former premier will visit Shanghai to open the Taiwan pavilion in his capacity as chairman of the National Cultural Association, a non-profit organization set up by the government in 1966. Under the law, political appointees and high-ranking officials seeking to visit China within three years of their resignations must apply for prior government approval. Liu resigned on Sept. 10 last year over bungled rescue and relief operations after Typhoon Morakot.
■ENTERTAINMENT
Local talent Lin visits LA
Lin Yu-chun (林育群), a local talent show contestant who has been described as “Taiwan’s Susan Boyle,” is now in Los Angeles, where he will appear on two major talk shows, an entertainment source said yesterday. Lin, 24, was to be interviewed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Lopez Tonight show hosted by George Lopez yesterday, Lin’s agency, A-List Entertainment, said. Lin became an overnight Internet hit with his rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You. The video of his performance on the talent show One Million Star went viral shortly after being posted on YouTube on April 6. The video has since had nearly 2 million hits. While in Los Angeles, Lin will tour the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, the new home of the Academy Awards, among other tourist attractions.
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
RSS