■TRANSPORTATION
EasyCards support tennis
The Taipei EasyCard Corp yesterday celebrated the issue of 20 million EasyCards by presenting 300 sets of a special edition EasyCard featuring tennis player Lu Yen-hsun (盧彥勳) for a charity sale. The company began issuing EasyCards in 2002, and expanded its usage from just a MRT and bus fare card to an electronic wallet in April. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and other guests at the celebration hosted an auction of five sets of the special-edition EasyCard, raising NT$1.01 million (US$31,800). That money, along with the proceeds of the 300 sets, will be given to Lu to fund his training. Lu made an appearance via video to thank his supporters. Last month he became the first Taiwanese to make it to the fourth round of the singles at Wimbledon. The special EasyCard costs NT$1,000. Details are available at www.rendylu.url.tw.
■POLITICS
Kaohsiung concert planned
A Chinese music concert will be held at the Kaohsiung National Stadium as one of the 10 activities celebrating the Republic of China’s centennial next year, Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) said yesterday. Siew, who chairs the Centenary Celebration Preparation Committee, said Chinese artists from all over the world will participate in the Nov. 12 concert. Committee members met at the Weiwuying Center for the Arts Preparation Office in Kaohsiung to exchange ideas with local artists and tourism groups about the celebration. Siew said it was time to transform the greater Kaohsiung region into an arts and culture area. The Weiwuying center, which was used by the military prior to the 1980s, will serve as a hub to integrate artistic resources in southern Taiwan, he said.
■CRIME
KMT ex-legislator indicted
Former KMT legislator Kwan Yuk-noan (關沃暖) was indicted on a corruption charge yesterday, accused of embezzling payments for legislative aides. Prosecutors requested a sentence of 12 years in prison, saying that Kwan has not shown remose for what he had done. Kwan served as a legislator-at-large representing overseas compatriots from 1998 to 2004. Taipei prosecutors said Kwan allegedly asked his former legislative aide Cheng Fang-kuo (鄭方國) to collect seven people’s names for him and claimed a total of NT$5,687,551 in payments for legislative aides. Kwan yesterday said he was innocent, adding that such activity was common practice in the legislature. Former KMT legislator Wu Cherng-dean (吳成典) was indicted by the Kinmen Prosecutors Office in 2008 on similar charges. His case is pending in the Kinmen District Court.
■CRIME
Mislabeled clothing seized
About 14,000 garments carrying “Made in Taiwan” labels that were actually made in China were confiscated during a raid on a Chiayi City warehouse on Thursday. Acting on a tip-off, female investigators from the Chiayi City branch of the Bureau of Investigation posed as customers of a hair salon and discovered the salon was selling Chinese-made clothing with the MIT label, deputy division chief Chang You-jen (張尤仁) said. Chang said police believe the husband of the salon owner, surnamed Chen (陳), was the mastermind of the operation. Chen is suspected of importing low-cost Chinese apparel and having workers replace the “Made in China” labels with “Made in Taiwan” ones before selling the clothing under the “Wuge” brand. The clothes cost between NT$100 and NT$200 per item, but sold for twice to three times to distributors around the country, Chang said.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), which earlier this week became the first Taiwanese novel to win the International Booker Prize, is to be adapted into a television series through a Taiwan-Japan coproduction, producer Chang Chen-yu (張辰漁) said yesterday. Chang, a producer at World Softest Production Film Co, wrote on Facebook that the company had been searching for projects with international appeal that retain a strong Taiwanese identity after colleagues and Japanese partners strongly recommended the novel. After reading the book, Chang said he immediately decided to pursue the screen rights. “A great story has the power to transcend time and borders, and connect countless people,”
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