■ HEALTH
CDC begin vaccinations
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it has begun a nationwide program to provide free vaccinations against (A)H5N1 influenza, also known as bird flu. The program is scheduled to last until Sept. 30, it said. The CDC urged medical personnel in charge of disease control and prevention, animal quarantine officers, security officers at airports and ports, coast guard officers, and people who frequently visit bird-flu affected countries to get vaccinated. CDC Deputy Director-General Chou Jih-haw (周志浩) said a total of 190,000 doses of the vaccine that will expire at the end of November are available to the public during the one-month inoculation program. Although the vaccinations are free, recipients still need to pay registration fees and medical examination fees, he said. Chou also announced that seasonal flu vaccinations will begin on Oct. 1, with 2.98 million doses of government-funded vaccine available for high-risk groups.
■ RETAIL
Scarves scam unravels
The Fair Trade Commission yesterday fined a Taipei City retailer for claiming in advertisements that its scarves were 100 percent cashmere when in fact they were, at most, only 67.5 percent cashmere. The scarves, sold at the Vistarr International’s online store and Yahoo’s online auction site, claimed to be “100% Ring Pashmina,” “100% Ring Pashmina Cashmere” and “100% JUJU Baby Cashmere Ring Pashmina.” Taiwan Textile Research Institute tests found that only 67.5 percent of the fibers contained in the products had diameters smaller than 19 micrometers. The commission fined the company NT$50,000 for false advertising and ordered it to remove the misleading product names and phrases from its advertisements.
■ ARTS
Filmmaker honored
South Korea’s most prestigious film festival said yesterday it had chosen Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮) as its Asian Filmmaker of the Year. The Pusan International Film Festival praised Tsai’s work over the past three decades for pioneering unexplored areas that overcome the limitations of the art film industry. “His 30-year-long devotion to filmmaking has greatly influenced Asian cinema and made considerable contributions to enhance the global status of Asian cinema,” it said in a statement. “He is renowned for seeking fresh ways of communicating with his audience ... We can find the root of his endless spirit of challenging himself and the borderlines of art in his earlier works in the 1990s.” Malaysian-born Tsai is best known for Vive L’Amour that won the Golden Lion (best picture) award at the Venice Film Festival in 1994, and The River that won the Silver Bear/Special Jury Prize at the 1997 Berlin International Film Festival.
■ RELIGION
University to host forum
The Huayen Forum of Globalization and the Seventh General Conference of World Buddhist Sangha Youth will take place from Saturday through Monday at the Sansia campus of National Taipei University. The events, to be organized by the Da Huayen Monastery and the Huayen Buddhist Community, will address the topic “Globalization in Buddhism: Ecological Sustainability of Nature and Comprehensive Harmony.” Other topics will include Buddhist practices and richness of mind in the New Era, the dialogue and collaboration between globalization and environmental protection efforts, and the dialogue between Buddhism and other religions.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
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